Imagine that. Costs of everything, including supplies and operational costs for restaurant operations have increased exorbitantly for so many. Even urgent medical procedures have gone way up. Imagine having not one, but both parts of that double whammy in front of you.

John and Denise Martin are the proprietors of the beloved downtown Cedar Rapids restaurant The Flying Wienie. They're a small, locally-owned business feeling the crunch of a struggling economy and a post-COVID financial recovery. And one of them is in the midst of a serious health battle.

Denise has MAC lung disease and will need a double lung transplant. She is also battling Stage 4 COPD. MAC lung disease is a serious bacterial infection that causes a variety of respiratory symptoms. It is not infectious.

Cassandra "Sandy" Day is the employee who has started the GoFundMe account, saying in regard to Denise:

"She was a significant part of the place, and all the customers loved her. Denise has had to give up doing almost everything she loves to do.”

According to the Cedar Rapids Gazette, they've been raising money through this GoFundMe page since April, with a goal of raising $50,000. They have yet to approach that, with the total currently sitting at just over $5,000, so they are going public to get the word out.

Offline donations can be sent by mail to The Flying Wienie, 103 Eighth Ave. SW, Cedar Rapids, IA 52404. The GoFundMe account can be found here.

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