Friends Help Spread Christmas Joy to Needy Youth

The community comes together in an outpouring of love and support by collecting toys that Bishop Michael G. Duca will distribute to children in need at the St. Vincent de Paul Society Dining Room on Dec. 18. 

Two close friends recently contributed a treasure chest full of toys to this effort as an outpouring of thanksgiving for life itself.

As Kristen Miley recovered in 2019 from a year-long convalesce from a successful double lung transplant surgery, she and LaurAnn Neucere looked for a way to give back. They quietly shopped during the course of a year, collecting more than 1,000 toys, which they donated to the St. George Fire Department for the benefit of the SVDP toy collection.  

Neucere and Miley attended a private elementary school together for one year before venturing off to different high schools, but that’s all it took to foster a life-long friendship.

“She (Miley) and I are like the ‘same person,’ ” said Neucere. “We can think the same things without being in the same town or seeing each other. We’ve just always clicked and her family always treated me like I was one of their kids, because she’s one of five and I’m only one child, so it fits.”

The two kept in touch and eventually were together almost daily.

Their bond was a healing balm when Miley suffered from a medical crisis that almost took her life. Miley, who was diagnosed with cystic fibrosis when she was 18 months old, progressed to the point where she depended on her family and Neucere to care for her as she faced a lung transplant.

Because of the specifics of her illness, only a couple of lung transplant centers in the United States would take her. One of those was the Duke Lung Transplant Clinic in Durham, North Carolina.  

One Saturday, Miley told her mom that if they didn’t head to North Carolina, she wouldn’t make it.

“On that Sunday afternoon, I went to help her pack and she’s literally crawling on the floor on an oxygen tube,” Neucere said.   

“I just sat there and cried and pointed out what I wanted to take,” Miley said, tears welling in her eyes once more.

So they packed up a small U-haul with mostly medical equipment and Miley was headed to North Carolina the following day.

“I didn’t know if I would see her again,” said Neucere.

“I didn’t know if I would be coming back,” said Miley.

Once at the transplant center, a team quickly assessed that Miley needed a double lung transplant. She went through a grueling period of waiting. 

Other recipients shared their stories of “dry runs,” where lungs came in, they went through all the prep work for surgery only to be told at the last minute the doctors determined the lungs weren’t suitable for them.

Miraculously, Miley didn’t have any dry runs and she received her transplant in July, 2019.

Recovery was the difficulty for Miley.

“I was continually watching people get their transplant and go home and it was definitely hard,” conceded Miley, who “went septic” three times. But she made friends during the process and rejoiced in recipients’ victories.

Neucere visited Miley in the hospital and “swapped turns” with Miley’s mom in taking care of her.

Miley now has a “perfect set of lungs” and recently completed an Our Lady of the Lake Regional Medical Center 10K race.

Most of all, Miley’s sense of gratitude for the gift of life strengthened. This resulted in she and Neucere doing what many BFFs love – shopping. 

Their goal was to help underprivileged children have a brighter Christmas. Nina Wager and Rachel Sharpe joined their effort.

Neucere and Miley shopped locally and out of town together and encouraged each other to “keep an eye out” when one of them was away. The two FaceTime each other when they’ve hit a “eureka” moment.

They gleefully talked about their spur of the moment late night shopping sprees.

They kept the toys in a back storage room of Neucere’s Baton Rouge business. The room resembled Santa’s workshop, with shelves filled with trinkets. The friends beamed as they watched a box truck loaded with gifts head to SVDP. 

Michael Acaldo, SVDP CEO and executive director, expressed his deep gratitude for the gifts.

Gathering the toys has been a “teaching moment” for Neucere’s children and Miley’s nieces and nephews that the gifts are “for kids with no money” and about the importance of giving back.

The duo are looking ahead to next year and how their “finds” will be a treasure for the less fortunate.

With misting eyes, Miley said, “I’ll never be able to give back the way my donor gave to me. If I can do little things throughout the year to give back, I’m going to do that.”

The gifts are likewise a celebration of life for Neucere.

“I got my friend back,” said Neucere.