This letter of request is being sent to you regarding a family in Northern Alabama. 

During their son’s first birthday party, the McQueen’s received the news that no parent wants to hear: that their child had been diagnosed with Cystic Fibrosis, a chronic genetic disorder that massively affects the lungs. This diagnosis was prompted by his “failure to thrive” which was why their baby did not want to eat and cried often. More frightening was the fact that this would eventually require a double lung transplant if he lived that long. 

Luckily, Gerald has lived that long; he is now sixteen years old. He attends high school and enjoys playing Madden and watching football in his free time. In the school district he attends, they require that students be present for 162 days; however, due to countless extended-stay (up to 41 days!) hospital visits, Gerald has only been able to be present for his junior year of high school a total of 78 days. His disease has not only affected his health, but also his education and the normal life experiences that you and I take for granted every single day. To learn more about Gerald’s story, visithttp://www.geralds2ndbreath.com/. 

The parents, Lynn and Fitzgerald, are public school teachers that have dedicated their lives to teaching and raising the children of others. Over the last 16 years, the parents have exhausted all their sick leave, personal leave and of course, their savings. The family may very well lose their house if they are not able to mobilize others to help them. Lynn, Gerald’s mother, will no longer be able to work for the next year because she must relocate to St. Louis, Missouri with Gerald. It is here at one of the best children hospitals in the country that they are hoping to find Gerald a double lung transplant match. Gerald’s father and sister, Fitzgerald and Hope, will remain in North Alabama so that Fitzgerald can work to try to save their house and provide a semblance of “normality” for their elementary age daughter, Hope. 

So we are asking family, friends, loved ones, and those that seek to give every child a chance to live to do two simple things to help extend Gerald’s life. First, follow this link, www.geralds2ndbreath.com to donate $3.00. It will not take any time at all! Then, forward and challenge everyone in your various address books to do the same. It is tax deductible and you can save a life by doing so. The goal is to raise money that will go towards Gerald’s medical expenses and towards household bills that will continue to rise due to maintaining two households in two different states off of a teacher’s income. 

Today we are asking you to help save the McQueen’s baby life. We are asking you to let him have more birthdays. We are asking you to step-up to be your brother’s keeper because, “And the LORD said unto Cain, Where is Abel thy brother? And he said, I know not, Am I my brother’s keeper? — Genesis 4:9,” and we know that we are our brother’s keeper. 

All donations, big and small, are greatly appreciated by the McQueen family, as we would be honored for you to help us out. Their EIN number for the Gerald’s Second Breath Foundation is 80-0907179.


Any monetary gifts to the Gerald’s Second Breath Foundation can be deposited at any Redstone Federal Credit Union and are tax deductible. Thank you for supporting this North Alabama Family.