‘Nightmare’: Family left without $11,000 in funds after national nonprofit shuts down

WORCESTER, Mass. — A Worcester woman says her family was left without more than $11,000 in funds they raised for her mother’s double lung transplant after a national foundation suddenly shut down.

Christina Norris’ mother Donna Sinclair, of Salem, needed the operation in 2018 after suffering from COPD.

The family raised more than $35,000 in donations that were held through the National Foundation for Transplants, a nonprofit that they believed would best oversee their funds.

“She started losing hope and thinking this wasn’t going to happen,” said Norris about her mother.

Sinclair was eventually put on the waiting list for the operation at Mass General Hospital. In December of 2018, she was told by phone she’d get the surgery.

Norris explained, “There’s people that wait years, and I think my mom was on the list for three months… It was a rollercoaster for everyone.”

The surgery was successful, and the funds that were being held by NFT over the next five years were used to cover post-surgery expenses such as copays and prescriptions.

But in April, they received word that NFT was shutting down, and more than $11,000 in their name would not be given back.

Sinclair added, “They said there was no money. Any money that was left went towards helping other patients, but there was no money.”

The national foundation said they were shutting down due to post-pandemic struggles and inflation in the healthcare field.

In a statement on their website, NFT explained:

“Contributions made to the National Foundation for Transplants were unrestricted donations to support its mission and are not individuals’ funds. The main reason NFT is in the process of ceasing operations is precisely due to a lack of funds available for any purpose, much less having funds available for distribution to another organization. Funds donated to NFT cannot be redirected to another nonprofit.”

Norris added, “These people are donating money they think is going to Donna, but really it’s for people like Donna.”

The family said they haven’t been able to contact NFT, and are now trying to fundraise again for Donna’s medical needs.

“It’s hard to reach out to people for money again when you’ve already reached out once more,” said Norris.

She finished, “These are their nightmares. It’s real. It affects my family. It affects families like mine.”

Norris told Boston 25 she’s connected with several other families across the country who have also lost significant funds as a result.

To help the Salem family, you can donate at: Fundraiser for Donna Sinclair by Sinclair Family : Urgent: Donna’s Battle for Transplant Medication (gofundme.com)

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