Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SATURDAY, March 12, 1994 TAG: 9403140235
SECTION: CURRENT PAGE: NRV-5 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
SOURCE: By PAUL DELLINGER STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: PULASKI LENGTH: Medium
She was admitted at 3:30 p.m. Thursday to the operating room at the Duke University, where she has been waiting since the end of December. The operation was completed by 10 p.m. and her husband, Don, was able to talk with her by midnight.
It was also the night of the first meeting of people interested in raising money for medical expenses not covered by the family`s insurance.
The big cost, estimated at $20,000, was the amount given by Duke for the expenses associated with obtaining a heart. Peggy Viers also will have continued expenses, like anti-rejection medication which could run $1,500 per month.
The fund-raising group decided to set a $30,000 goal at its organizational meeting, said Greg Ritter, its chairman.
``It's really good news," Ritter said of the transplant. "She has her heart and she seems to be doing well.''
Viers is known in her community as someone who takes seriously the idea of helping her neighbors. At Christmas, she and her husband would seek out a family that might have suffered financial or other problems during the year and make it a project to see that its members received food, gifts and other traditions of the season.
They tried to do this anonymously over the years, but eventually other people in the community found out who was leaving or sending these gifts.
It was a tradition that the couple started years ago after Peggy had her first heart problems, and was in no shape to seek gifts or prepare a Christmas meal for her children. Someone who signed a note as ``Santa Claus'' left the needed items on their her doorstep.
``This is payback,'' Peggy said last Christmas when asked about her unusual hobby.
The fund-raising campaign will place cannisters with Peggy's photograph on it around the community, ask local churches to consider special offerings, and see about arranging donations from employees at Xaloy Inc. where Don Viers and Ritter work.
The group's next meeting will be at 6 p.m. Thursday in the Training Room at Xaloy.
by CNB