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Bake sale at church to raise funds for woman needing transplant
By Sean Barron
MINERAL RIDGE
A bake sale to raise money for a woman in need of a double-lung transplant is set for 12:30 to 3 p.m. Sunday at the Church of Christ, 3911 State Route 46 here.
The event is to help Tina Carkido, 24, of North Royalton, near Cleveland. She is a Mahoning Valley native who was born with cystic fibrosis, a genetic disease characterized by large buildups of mucus, especially in the lungs.
Carkido has many family members who live in the Valley.
During the past year, she has been hospitalized numerous times, mainly for various infections. Carkido’s health has deteriorated to the point that she meets the criteria for the transplant, noted Noreen Mazon of Boardman, Carkido’s aunt and an event organizer.
Recently, Carkido was placed on transplant lists at the Cleveland Clinic and the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center in Pittsburgh, Mazon said.
Her family was asked to raise $45,000 of the estimated $500,000 cost of the life-saving procedure for co-pays and areas not covered by insurance.
The family also is working with the Children’s Organ Transplant Association, a Bloomington, Ind.-based national charity dedicated to organizing and guiding communities in raising funds for transplant-needy patients.
Those unable to attend can make a donation at any PNC Bank, or send it to COTA, 2501 COTA Drive, Bloomington, Ind. 47403. Checks or money orders should be made payable to COTA, with “Tina C” written on the memo line.
Credit-card donations can be sent to www.COTAforTinaC.com.
For more information, call Mazon at 330-726-9986, Jodie Wilder at 330-646-8381 or Shirley Schindler at 330-799-8857.