YOUNGSTOWN Woman in need finds friends

A fund-raiser was held for a South Side woman who needs a double-lung transplant.
By SEAN BARRON
VINDICATOR CORRESPONDENT
YOUNGSTOWN -- After Thelma Vines' car accident in 1987, she needed the help of her only child, Ramona Vines. The accident left Thelma Vines with numerous broken bones, and a paralyzed left arm and a 16-year-old daughter whose grades suffered as a result.
"She saw me in the hospital every day after school. She walked to see me at the nursing home and Hillside Hospital," during her recovery, Thelma Vines said.
Now Ramona Vines says she's grateful to have her mother's help to perform various functions, such as helping her raise her three children. The South Side woman, now 31, suffers from pulmonary fibrosis, an irreversible lung disease that restricts the air sacks' ability to expand and makes breathing and other functions difficult.
Thelma Vines was among numerous people who came to Trinity United Methodist Church Saturday to attend a spaghetti fund-raiser for her daughter, who needs a double-lung transplant.
The dinner, sponsored by Helping Other Women, was set up to assist Vines with various expenses related to her medical condition.
Thankful
Vines, who was diagnosed 31/2 years ago, said she was thankful to see her co-workers in the medical records department at Forum Health Northside Medical Center prepare the dinner and do much of the legwork that led up to the event.
Taunya Fuller, a social worker and HOW's president, said the 5-year-old, 15-member group assists women going through domestic violence, low self-esteem and spiritual and other issues. A member of Forum Health's Employee Assistance Program, who's also a HOW board member, brought the fund-raiser idea to the group's attention, Fuller pointed out.
Others, like Marilyn Strachan and Linda Bompage, two of Vines' co-workers, said they decided to help with the dinner after receiving a letter that outlined Vines' need for assistance. "We began working toward this [in mid-September] trying to get donations from people," Bompage said.
Plans
Vines said she was surprised by the turnout and expressed her thanks to those who came to her aid. "I'm thankful to a lot of people, like the HOW group, my co-workers, family, the Cleveland doctors, my therapists and especially my mom," she said.
Vines added she plans to return to her medical records job, and said she wants to do research on her disease to "give others information before they begin to deteriorate," she said.
Thelma Vines said that, despite the difficulty she felt after learning of her daughter's diagnosis and prognosis, the experience has brought the two of them closer.
"Her sickness was devastating, but through God, I'm holding on," she said. "I believe in my heart and through faith she'll be OK."
For more information about Helping Other Women, call Fuller at (330) 750-9443.