Community Corner

Hopatcong Woman Launches Fundraising Effort to Get New Lungs

Tara Suplicki, of Hopatcong, has the rare disease pulmonary hypertension and needs the surgery to save her life.

Tara Suplicki of Hopatcong is fighting for her life. Diagnosed with a rare and life-endangering lung disease called pulmonary hypertension in 2008, the 35-year-old woman has endured numerous obstacles over the past five years, including suffering a stroke and a staph infection. But Suplicki is bound and determined to save her life and to obtain the lung transplant she needs.

Among the moves the highly motivated woman took were setting up a Facebook page to share her story and starting her own GoFundMe campaign to raise $30,000 to help fund her extremely expensive care. So far, the page shows she's raised more than $17,000.

"The cost for the procedure is not the only cost that I will be facing," she wrote. "After the surgery I will be on anti-rejection medication for the rest of my life. Some of the medications I will only be on for three to six months; those are the medications that my insurance is not covering. After the surgery is done it will be also be necessary for me to stay in the Philadelphia area near Penn Medical Center for close to three months. These costs are paid for by me and my family."

Suplicki said social workers at Penn gave her the idea to start fundraising efforts.

"I have decided to make use of this site to raise the money I desperately need," she said. "Any help that you can provide will go toward medication and travel and housing expenses during this process. Any kind of donation is greatly appreciated and will truly assist me in this journey."

Consider helping Tara Suplicki this holiday season, and check out other area GoFundMe efforts that could use your assistance.


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here