We at Pioneer have been celebrating with Don and Trudy Starlin over his recent successful double-lung transplant. He had days to live when the donor's lungs became available. And the good news is he is recovering very well, having been moved from his transplant hospital to a nearby rehabilitation hospital. The last text message from Trudy reports he walked 1,650 steps a couple of days ago, his chest and feeding tubes have been removed, his spirits are strong—and we join them in praising God for this miraculous (how else can you describe a double-lung transplant?) intervention.
Family and friends of the Starlins have started a GoFundMe account to raise monies to offset the immense costs of this transplant operation. Insurance simply does not cover the myriad of expenses—room and board in the city, loss of employment during the recent months of waiting, continued unemployment until recovery is complete, rehabilitation, et al. While Pioneer cannot publish every worthy GoFundMe project, we can rally to the needs of this hometown couple who have faithfully served this congregation and are facing monumental financial challenges.
May our prayers surround these two Pioneer Family members on their road to recovery—"being confident of this, that He who began a good work in [them] will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus" (Philippians 1:6).