GoFundMe Started To Help COVID-19 Long Hauler Pay For New Lungs

CHICAGO RIDGE, IL — Ronnie Dryier is the kind of guy that if you call him to ask for his help, he’ll be at your house before you hang up your phone. Dryier who’d give the shirt off his back to help others, now needs the help of his neighbors.

The Chicago Ridge man is a COVID-19 long-hauler. He’s been at Advocate Christ Medical Center since May 26, trying to recover from COVID. The virus has severely damaged his lungs. He was recently handed a diagnosis of advanced pulmonary fibrosis as a direct result of the virus.

Over the weekend, Dryier was transferred to the University of Chicago Medical Center. On Monday, he had to be intubated and put on a ventilator. Hopefully, the measure will only be temporary, and he can be put on an advanced life-support ECMO machine, so he can get stronger and become a candidate for a double lung transplant.

>>> Help Ronnie Dryier Get New Lungs

Hospitals and mounting medical bills are in Dryier’s immediate future. His friends have started a GoFundMe campaign to assist the Dryier and his family while he waits for a transplant. They understand another family’s tragedy will be their blessing — and a chance for life.

Dryier is a sports fanatic, and he has been inspired by Jimmy Valvano’s (Jimmy V’s) speech” “Don’t Give Up, Don’t Ever Give Up.” While he was busy helping others, Dryier never stopped to think that this speech would personally apply to him.

"Ronnie and his wife, Michelle, along with their three children have been part of the Chicago Ridge community for most of their lives,” said Melissa Arkills, organizer of the online campaign. “He has willingly and unselfishly volunteered at the CRAA (Chicago Ridge Athletic Association) for many years, often going straight to games and the concession stand after working a 12-hour night shift. That is the type of guy Ronnie is — thinking of others before himself."

There are substantial bills in front of Dryier and his family. Friends are hoping to easy some of the burden that has already been put on them. To learn more about this giving man or to make a donation, visit Help Ronnie Dryier Get New Lungs. Any donation will be gratefully accepted.