BENEFIT TO BE HELD FOR JACKSON MAN AWAITING LUNG TRANSPLANT

A benefit will be held Saturday night for a Jackson man awaiting a lung transplant.

Dwayne Cox of Jackson has pulmonary hypertension, a genetic condition that prevents the veins in the lungs from fully developing."The veins in my lungs are too small and don't carry enough blood," said Cox, 38. He said when he exerts himself with physical activities, his body can't get enough oxygen and he blacks out.

The only remedy for this condition, Cox has been told, is a new lung. He was diagnosed with the condition last March and put on the waiting list for a lung transplant last July. Most transplant recipients are on the list 12 to 18 months.

Cox, who was a truck driver at Beelman in Ste. Genevieve for 11 years before being diagnosed, said insurance will pay most of the $250,000 cost of the transplant. However, there are many related expenses Cox and his family will have to pay for.

After the transplant, which will be performed in St. Louis, he will have to live near the hospital for at least 30 days. His wife, Geannie, who works at Rapco in Jackson, will have to take a leave from work to be with him.

So Cox's relatives started a fund to help with expenses. Proceeds from Saturday night's dance will go into that fund.

The dance will be 7:30 to midnight Saturday at the Armory in Perryville, where Cox grew up. Admission to the dance is $5 per person.