Arlington Heights family host benefit for ill sibling
Members of a longtime Arlington Heights family are hosting a fundraiser Saturday to help a sibling in need of a lung transplant.
Wally Preissing, one of eight Preissing siblings who grew up in Arlington Heights in a family that goes back more than 50 years in the village, needs the transplant as he struggles to breathe with end-stage emphysema.
To help with mounting medical costs, family members and friends will hold a benefit beginning at 5 p.m. Saturday at Peggy Kinnane's Irish Restaurant & Pub, 8 N. Vail Avenue in Arlington Heights. The event will feature live entertainment provided by the band, “Missed Opportunity,” as well as appetizers, raffle prizes and a silent auction. “Wally's best hope for recovery is a lung transplant,” said his brother, Joe Preissing. “That complex process is now under way through the University of Minnesota Transplant Team.”
Wally Preissing, 53, is a 1975 graduate of Arlington High School. He and his wife, Theresa, and children, Jack, 21, and Eva, 19, live in Shoreview, Minn., where he is a self-employed graphic designer.
Although he was diagnosed with emphysema four years ago, he has become increasingly debilitated over the last 18 months and now is unable to work.
“Since he is self-employed and works on individual projects, if he doesn't work, he doesn't get paid,” said another brother, Paul, of Arlington Heights. “As the disease has progressed, it has become much more difficult for him to meet deadlines.”
A suggested donation of $20 per person will be collected at the door.
“We are hoping to alleviate some of the emotional and financial strain the family has been under due to Wally's loss of productivity and mounting medical costs,” Joe Preissing said.
Family members welcome monetary donations as well. An account has been set up at Chase Bank, 1 N. Dunton Avenue, Arlington Heights, IL, 60005. Checks should be put to the attention of the “Wally Preissing Benefit.”
They also have a PayPal account set up. Donations can be made online at: the wallypreissingbenefit@gmail.com.