Carolyn Brandenburg taught at Bakersfield College until her health forced her to stop. Now she needs a lung transplant and must raise money to relocate near the hospital where she'll recover.Brandenburg stopped teaching at Baker sfield College in December due to her health. Her daughter, Vanessa Brandenburg, said her mother began feeling sick in 2019, just before the pandemic."It's been really hard because my mom is so she was so independent and it's really difficult to see her suffer," Vanessa said.Carolyn said her illness began with a cough, which eventually led to a diagnosis of interstitial lung disease."My sister told me to go to the pulmonologist, the lung doctor. And he said, 'Oh, Carolyn, it looks like you have a thing called interstitial lung disease, which is a fibrosis or stiffening of the lungs, the lung tissue,'" Carolyn said.Her condition worsened in late spring, and her doctor began discussing the possibility of a lung transplant."Since you're on oxygen and you're on oxygen at rest, that's a good sign that you'll probably need a lung transplant. And so he was kind of, you know, saying, 'Hey, you need to go down to UCLA, and let them check you out for a possible lung transplant,'" Carolyn said.Two months ago, doctors at UCLA confirmed she needed a transplant."I'm extremely winded, and I don't really have that much lung capacity left. And so walking is exhausting, talking, is exhausting," Carolyn said."So he said, I'm a perfect candidate, and for my age, I can get a double one lung transplant," she said.The UCLA Lung Transplant Program is one of the country's most successful programs of its kind, having performed more than 1,500 lung replacements.Brandenburg needs to raise $12,000 to cover the cost of relocating near UCLA following her transplant procedure. Patients must remain close to the hospital for ongoing rehabilitation and monitoring."Have to go to the hospital all the time for rehabilitation and for them to test you and things like that. So there's going to be testing. And then also, too, in case anything goes wrong, they have to, they have to be really close," Carolyn said.Vanessa said their faith has helped the family stay strong through the ordeal."She is a believer. She puts this whole faith and trust in God," Vanessa said.Carolyn said she is thankful for the support she has received during this difficult time.This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.Stay in Touch with Us Anytime, Anywhere: Download Our Free App for Apple and Android Sign Up for Our Daily E-mail Newsletter Like Us on Facebook Follow Us on Instagram Subscribe to Us on YouTube ...read more read less