Mae Carson never smoked a single cigarette, yet her survival now depends upon getting a double lung transplant. This type of surgery is a four to six-hour procedure under normal circumstances; however, eighty-percent of her stomach has relocated itself behind her heart. Leakage from this severe hiatal hernia is what caused the destruction of her lungs. The stomach relocation surgery must precede the lung transplant, which makes this an even more challenging surgery; her chest cavity to be open for ten to twelve hours.

After the surgery, Mae will be hospitalized for two to four weeks. After this in-patient stay, she must spend three to six months living close enough to the hospital for daily appointments and physical rehabilitation as an out-patient. During this time, she must have a live-in caretaker who is available 24/7. She currently lives 300 miles from Barnes Jewish Hospital and will have relocate. Her caretaker will have to relocate with her as well.

Mae’s Social Security Medicare will cover the majority of the actual surgery costs; however, it will not cover the temporary relocation costs or living expenses for her and her caretaker. Also, her copay of all of the medications, out-patient procedures, and physical rehab will be very expensive. Mae has been able to save a small portion of the projected costs; but will be short by approximately twenty-thousand dollars. Any leftover funds from this fundraiser (if any) will be donated to St. Jude’s Children Hospital.

Who is Mae Carson?

Mae is a devoted wife, mother, and grandmother who uplifts the spirits of many family members, friends, and strangers with her greeting card ministry. She spends hours writing encouraging notes to those who are down or suffering and includes bible verses that relate to the situations they are going through. She was also the fulltime caretaker of her husband’s grandmother during the last four-years of her life as she declined with Alzheimer’s disease.

Mae's natural abilities for care and nurturing, however, are not limited to people. She keeps wild bird feeders and hummingbird feeders full and enjoys birdwatching through her kitchen window and from a lawn chair. She has also taken better care of some of her neighbors’ dogs than they have done; therefore, there are always three to seven canines hanging around waiting for snacks and loving attention. One of the dogs recently had a litter of puppies under her bed. She has taken care of veterinarian costs that the dog owners were unable (or unwilling) to pay for. You will not find a find a woman with a more caring heart than Mae Carson.

Brief Bio

Born in 1957, Mae grew up as a farmgirl middle child in Northwest Arkansas with five siblings. She has childhood experiences that include: driving tractors, operating a sawmill, and building chicken houses.

She married her first husband at the age of 16 then became a young mother of two children, Misty and Denny.

Mae devorced fifteen-years later and married her second husband in 1990. She gave birth to her third child, Chris. She later became pregnant with her fourth child, Tiffany, who died in her womb.

As an assistant manager for Mapco Express, Mae was hit in the head while attempting to make a bank deposit. She was hospitalized and has had migraine headaches since.

Mae got breast cancer in 2007 and had to have a mastectomy. She survived the ordeal and has been cancer free for fifteen years.

Mae has not only been a mother, but also a mother figure to many neighborhood children who needed to experience unconditional love. She has touched the lives of those children in many ways; some of them still refer to her as ‘Mom’.

She has been married to her second husband for thirty-three years and is now a beloved grandmother.

Mae is now listed as a recipient for the double lung transplant operation and must live with her bags packed while she awaits a phone call alerting her that suitable lungs have been donated.

This campaign is unpublished.

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