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Voice Actor Chris Ayres Launches Crowdfund Campaign for Lung Transplant Medical Costs

Voice actor Chris Ayres launched a crowdfund campaign on Monday to help pay for medical expenses for a lung transplant he underwent last year. The GoFundMe is being run by Lee Wilson from the Oni-Con anime convention.

On the GoFundMe page and on Twitter, Ayres explained that the surgery went well and thanked everybody who helped him with his journey.

"While I am grateful to have insurance that covers a percentage of my costs, every new x-ray, clinic, and surgical procedure require co-payments," he went on. "I know that I am blessed to even be alive, but the cost of all of these things combined have depleted most all of the money both raised, granted, and saved up at the beginning of this journey. While these expenses continue to add up, I am unable to work, until I am cleared to do so."

He also explained that the cost of the surgery "was in the hundreds of thousands." Furthermore, he had to undergo a second surgery to correct the hardened mucus in his lungs, which has kept him hospitalized for an additional month. Not only was this an unplanned surgery, the cumulative costs were "far beyond what I could have imagined when diagnosed."

"If you are able to donate anything at all, it is appreciated more than I can begin to express," he concluded. "I realize that the current pandemic, has cost many jobs and many people are facing financial uncertainty. If you aren't in a position to donate, I would really appreciate passing the link for this along, and help us in reaching others. So many have done so much to help, and I quite literally owe them my life. I am continually amazed at the generosity of this community, and I look forward to a time one day when I am in a position to return that generosity somehow."

Ayres received the initial lung transplant surgery on October 31, after having been on a transplant list for almost two years. In November 2017, non-profit corporation Anime Twin Cities Inc. launched a fundraising campaign for Ayres' medical expenses. Ayres had been diagnosed with end-stage COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease). The fundraiser sought to raise US$25,000, primarily to assist in medical procedures and care. The fundraising stated at the time that Ayres required a double lung transplant to survive, along with two additional surgeries.

Ayres is best known for voicing the character Frieza in the Dragon Ball Z series (and Dragon Ball Super and Dragon Ball Super: Broly), and has voiced characters in Gantz, Tamako Market, Phi-Brain - Puzzle of God, Gintama: The Movie, Panty & Stocking with Garterbelt, Sengoku Basara, Initial D, and Tears to Tiara. He has also served as ADR Director and scriptwriter for numerous English dubs.

Source: GoFundMe