Fighting the fight, together — Naples woman wins one battle; now faces lung transplant
FUNDRAISER DETAILS
What: Samantha’ Flock Lung Transplant Fundraiser
When: Sunday, April 24, from noon to 4 p.m.
Where: Naples Village Green, where the gazebo is. If it’s raining, it will be held in Town Gymnasium.
By Dawn De Busk
Staff Writer
NAPLES — When someone in the community is going through a tough time, especially a medical emergency, people who care put together fundraisers.
A fundraiser is in the works for Naples resident Samantha Mirante who has been at Massachusetts General Hospital awaiting a double-lung transplant for almost a month. She tested positive for COVID-19 in December. Since January, she has been at three different hospitals. In mid-March, she was life flighted to Mass General. The fundraiser, lovingly called Samantha’s Flock because of her love of Flamingos, will take place from noon to 4 p.m. on Sunday, April 24, at the Naples Village Green.
“The event is going to go on, whether it’s raining or not,” according to Joanne Moore one of the organizers “It’s one location. We reserved the Naples Village Green as well as the Grange Hall and the Gymnasium in the town hall. If we do it indoors, it will be in the gym. If it is a nice day, we will be outside.”
Next Sunday’s fundraising event will include a barbecue meal for $12, a Karaoke contest and a limbo contest — both of which cost $20 for people to compete. There will be a Chinese auction during which time people buy raffle tickets and place the tickets with the item they went to win. Winners are decided by drawing ticket instead of than whoever bids the highest price.
“I can’t wait to see people in the community come out and support this woman. She is going through a lot. She is a young woman, only 44 years old,” Moore said. “She has been hospitalized since Jan. 3. She cannot leave the hospital until they find lungs for her. COVID-19 damaged her lungs. She went from having a full-time working position and being an active person to being very sick.”
Mirante is a graduate of Lake Region High School who along with her husband raised two children, Francis Jr., and Elizabeth, 22, who also both graduated from LRHS. Samantha lives in Naples. She is employed as a nail technician at Lucinda’s Day Spa in Falmouth.
Samantha’s daughter Elizabeth said she was blown away by the kindness of people in the community when she heard that a fundraiser was being arranged for her mom.
“All the wonderful ladies and gentlemen who are helping to throw the fundraiser hold a special place in my heart for doing that. I would have never asked. That is really generous of them,” Mirante said. “Joanna Moore and my cousin Marquetta Vaughn — they are the ones who started it for my family,” she said. “I didn’t reach out to anyone in the community. I never asked. I guess I was too humble.”
“But once I heard about it, I asked to be a part of it. I asked to be involved. I made the flyers for it and handed them out,” Mirante said. “Everything else — I have been very fortunate that they took the lead with the fundraiser.”
Moore provided details about the fundraiser, which promises to have a flamingo theme. The barbecue lunch will be served, starting at noon. The meal is $12 and includes barbecued chicken, hamburgers, sal-ads, desserts and a choice of beverages.
“DJ Dan, a professional out of Portland, will be the emcee of the whole event. He will run the Karaoke contest,” Moore said. “He is going to play music for all ages while we are eating and he is going to keep the event flowing.”
Doors open at 11:30 a.m. for people to view auction items.
“The Chinese auction is a little bit more affordable to people. It’s affordable for everyone. If someone has $5, they could win. If you went to a silent auction if someone had $100, they could outbid you. This gives plenty of opportunities for people coming in to contribute to her fund to spend as little or as much as they want,” Moore said. “People have to be present to win the prize. They have to be there at the end with their ticket. The drawing will take place from 3:30 to 4 p.m.”
If people do not have Sunday free to attend the fundraiser, they can donate to Samantha by buying other items.
“We are selling pink flamingo tumblers. We are selling bracelets with the lung transplant ribbon on them. We are selling little green ribbons. We have t-shirts for sale,” Moore said. “Donations can be made to Samantha Mirante through Venmo, too.”
By Dawn De Busk
Staff Writer
NAPLES — Elizabeth Mirante says that her family has always been close.
That bond has proven invaluable as family members lean on each other while Elizabeth’s mom Samantha Mirante has been going through a health crisis.
Samantha got COVID-19 in late December 2021. In January of this year, respiratory problems led to a trip to the emergency room and a brush with death as family members were told to say their final good-byes.
But Samantha persevered.
In mid-March, after being there for six weeks, doctors at Central Maine Medical Center (CMMC) in Lewiston determined that Samantha needed a bilateral lung transplant. In fact, doctors said that she could not leave the hospital and go home until she received a double lung transplant.
At that point, she was life-flighted to Massachusetts General Hospital, where doctors have been prepping her for that future surgery.
Meanwhile, the family follows through with daily living and going to full-time jobs. The immediate family includes Samantha’s husband Francis Mirante, Sr., and her two grown children Elizabeth, 22 and Francis Jr.
Any spare time involves trips to Boston to be with Samantha. Last month, Elizabeth and her father were driving to Mass General as frequently as twice a week, she said.
“Unfortunately, we are unable to spend the night there at the hospital. The pricing for hotels in Boston is so high, and then gas is so high,” Elizabeth said. “We car pool, and we make our trip once a week now. And then other family make the trip to go see her so she’s not alone during the week. We take turns.”
While the family focuses on Samantha, the community is putting together a fundraiser to help with the medical bills and associated expenses. That is happening next weekend.
The fundraiser, which is called Samantha’s Flock Lung Transplant Fundraiser, will be held Sunday, April 24, from noon to 4 p.m. The fundraising activities include a barbecue lunch for $12, Karaoke contest for $20, a limbo contest plus a Chinese auction. The fundraiser will be located at the Naples Village Green. If the weather is nice, the event will take place outdoors. If it rains, the fundraiser will go indoors, inside the Town of Naples Gymnasium.
Elizabeth stressed the importance of recognizing and thanking the people who have taken over organizing the fundraiser.
Also, her mom’s mom or grandma Kimberly Emerson was a person high up on her thank you list.
“I really want people to know how much [Kimberly] has helped in this situation. She has a very busy household. She dedicated a lot of time to help, especially with me learning health insurance and all the adulting responsibilities,” she said.
Pulling together as a family
Elizabeth has a background in the medical field. She is employed as a technician in the ER department at the Bridgton Hospital. So, family members have relied on her to make sense out of medical terms and to keep everyone updated.
“I am the only one in the medical field. I am her daughter. I jumped to be her advocate. I would do anything for my mother,” she said. “Sometimes, it has been hard. Everyone turned to me to figure out was going on and to relay what was being said.”
Samantha, 44, is a graduate of Lake Region High School (LRHS). After high school, she met her future-husband Francis Mirante. He had been born and raised in Bethel, Connecticut. They raised their children, Francis, Jr., and Elizabeth in the Lake Region.
Samantha is employed at Lucinda’s Day Spa in Falmouth as a nail technician.
Elizabeth observed that the family bond has been a double-edged sword.
“Our family has such a strong bond that it has been emotionally tougher because of that even more so,” she said.
Before her mom got sick, her mom and dad worked a lot of hours at their job. When they had weekends free, they enjoyed Maine’s great outdoors.
“All their hobbies were paired duos. They ice fished. They snowmobiled, which they didn’t get to do this year. Fishing is their most beloved hobby. Their boats are very important to them,” she said
“My brother was going to police academy. Because mom got sick, he applied for a job at Overhead Door Company to be my father’s helper. He is huge emotional support for my father. He is with him every day,” she said. “My family has been very close anyway. I think we are spending a lot more one-on-one time.”
“I have definitely learned a lot more about my grandparents and the family tree, which I am thankful for. I’ve learned about all the rocky roads that they’ve been through. All the medical stuff. I learned that my grandfather was ventilated a long, long time ago. My mother’s father, he is a very old school Mainer and doesn’t say much. His stories are amazing when he does get talking,” Elizabeth said.
Despite the situation, Samantha has been “in good spirits,” she said.
“For St. Patrick’s Day, me and my boyfriend went in and decorated her room green. For Easter, we did the same, we put all the Easter stuff up. It is something that we can do and not have to be heavy 24-7,” she said.
Elizabeth recalled the roller coaster of health emergencies that her mother has been through since the beginning of the year.
“In January, she went to the Bridgton Hospital. She woke up in the middle of the night. Actually, the dog woke her up. She wasn’t able to catch her breath. Her oxygen level was so low that doing anything was super strenuous. It was good thing she went to the ER because her oxygen saturation was at 60 percent. Fortunately enough, they were able to keep her stable. I am fortunate that my co-workers and my manager knew the severity of the situation, they allowed us into her room. At the time, no hospitals were allowing visitors,” she said.
“We went in to say our final goodbye and luckily it wasn’t,” she said. “Bridgton Hospital saved her life. Every day, I am thankful that she went to Bridgton, and that I’ve had the opportunity to work there and know those people personally who saved her life,” Elizabeth said.
Next, Samantha was transported to Central Maine Medical Center in Lewiston. She was there at least six weeks.
“She went to emergency department in Lewiston for a long, long time because no beds were available. Then, they finally got a bed open in the ICU,” Elizabeth said. “She has never been ventilated. She is on high-flow oxygen. That is just before being ventilated,”
“She has made it this far, and she can get this transplant,” she said.
