Hometown Holiday Helpers: Blacksburg mom in need of double lung transplant for son

BLACKSBURG, Va. (WDBJ) - Lori Hooper is a busy mom and school cafeteria worker. As she dishes up lunch for the students, Hooper is happy to tell you about her own pride and joy, her 16-year-old son, Christopher.

“He lights up my world. When he gets up in the morning, he has a big smile on his face. He just keeps me going,” Hooper.

Their lives aren’t easy. Hooper is a widow and Christopher suffers from many health problems.

“My journey started when he was a year old; his cirrhotic glands started swelling. We took him to a doctor. They did a biopsy and we found out he had juvenile rheumatoid arthritis, and sarcoidosis, a disease that can affect your lungs, and it has affected his,” Hooper explained.

Now Christopher is in desperate need of a double lung transplant.

“Until they do more testing and everything and get him on the transplant list, we are at a standstill right now,” Hooper said.

With so much on hold, we wanted to make the holidays brighter, with our gift of $700 as a 2022 Hometown Holiday Helper. Hooper said she’s excited and has her list ready to go.

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