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Sallie Shea is a long-time resident of Milwaukee. Born in Des Moines, Iowa on March 20, 1973, she moved to Brookfield, Wisconsin in 1981 after spending a few years in Eden Prairie, Minnesota.
Sallie attended grammar school at Brookfield Elementary where she began to demonstrate her mastery of many disciplines including skiing, gymnastics and diving. No matter what, Sallie gives her all. As a member of the Elm Brook Middle School student body, Sallie continued her quest for accomplishment, participating in many sports events including softball, figure skating, tennis, soccer and even track & field. She also attended Brookfield Central High School where she was a cheerleader, enjoyed modern dance and continued to play tennis and soccer. Sharing her gifts, Sallie was a camp counselor where she taught diving until the age of 20.
Always full of energy and wit, Sallie attended the University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee
(UWM), earning a Bachelor of Arts degree in Sociology and Women’s Studies. Sallie and her loving husband Steve were married in October of 1999. Her hobbies include reading, interior decorating, playing with her two dogs, Dolly and Franklin, her cat Lucy, and hanging out with family and friends. Sallie’s career was in the printing business until determining she had the compassion and heart to care for others.
It was when Sallie was attending nursing school at UWM on the Dean’s List and keeping a disciplined workout schedule that she was faced with the diagnosis of pulmonary fibrosis, a serious and debilitating disease.
Physicians initially thought she had a severe case of bronchitis as she was short of breath, coughing and her fingers and lips were turning blue. It is quite rare for pulmonary fibrosis to strike at such a young age. Only after a bronchoscopy were they able to determine that Sallie, in fact, has idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis. The cause of her disease is unknown.
While she had been working as a Nurse Intern and lacked only a year before she would earn her Bachelor of Science in Nursing, Sallie has been unable to continue her studies. She is dependent on oxygen and her disease is now rapidly progressing. A lung transplant is her only option.
Sallie is on the transplant list at the University of Wisconsin, Madison and being treated by Dr. Keith Meyer, her
Pulmonologist. Due to her age and general health status, she is an excellent candidate for lung transplantation but her insurance is capped at at least 50% below the cost of the treatment. The bureaucracy in the healthcare system often gets in the way of what should be the goal of treating people. It makes a person finally want to stand up and do something.
Sallie is a loving and caring person with so much to give her community. Please help us make Sallie well again.
To donate to The Willett Foundation, CLICK HERE!
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