Since She Was Born, She’s Had To Battle Cystic Fibrosis And 23 Years Later, She Needs A Lung Transplant
Tampa, Florida. 23-year-old Diana Juliet is from Homestead, Florida, but she’s currently in the hospital at Tampa General Hospital.
Diana’s loved ones call her “DJ”, and since she was born, she’s had to battle Cystic Fibrosis.
“Growing up, she constantly received respiratory treatments and a multitude of oral medications and had been in and out of the hospital often fighting off constant infections,” Donna Vargulish wrote on a GoFundMe page for DJ.
“She had endured numerous IVs, port-a-caths, PICC lines, and endless blood and pulmonary tests. Additionally, as a result of the effects of CF, she acquired insulin-dependent diabetes.”
Recently, doctors said that DJ has become resistant to antibiotics, and she was then airlifted to Tampa /General Hospital to continue treatment.
“This past week she has been through so much: she hemorrhaged from her lungs when they were about to intubate her and place her on a ventilator as she was on a BIPAP that still left her with air hunger, she went into cardiac arrest where the healthcare team then performed 3 rounds of CPR,” Donna said.
While DJ was in cardiac arrest, her kidneys suffered damage and she’s currently on dialysis as well as ECMO.
DJ is now in need of a lung transplant, and she also will require a kidney transplant too if her kidneys do not bounce back from the damage.
GoFundMe; pictured above is DJ
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“She recently was extubated and had a tracheostomy placed in order to not have her sedated,” Donna continued.
“Over the next few weeks, she will have time to heal and get stronger in order to be able to take her final test which is a 6-minute walk. When she passes this test, she will be placed on the list to receive the transplant(s).”
DJ has three sisters, the youngest one is just 5, and her single dad Eddy has had to stop working his job as a part-time police officer to be by her side in Tampa.
Donna is currently trying to raise enough money to help DJ with her medical expenses and keep her dad Eddy with her through her hospitalization.
If you would like to help donate to DJ, you can do that here.
More About:Human Interest
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