As many of you know, my sister Areli has been fighting a terrifying battle with Epilepsy. Areli is 28 years old and has devoted herself to being an amazing mother and wife to her 8 year old son, Jaxon and her husband, Timothy.

Areli’s journey with epilepsy has been relentless. She went from experiencing non-stop epileptic activity to enduring three or four grand mal seizures every single day. To try and control this, Areli has cycled through four different medications, and each one brought its own difficult set of results and side effects, without providing stability. Now, she deals with multiple exhausting tonic-clonic seizures a week. This continues to take an exhausting toll on her body both physically and mentally. Following her latest two-week hospitalization, the doctors issued a critical warning: she must stop working, or she faces a severely high risk of SUDEP (Sudden Unexpected Death in Epilepsy). She unfortunately had to choose between her job and her life. This disease hasn't just stolen her income; it’s stolen her memories. Because of the toll the seizures have taken on her brain, Areli heartbreakingly struggles to recall the early years of her son's life. Areli now often struggles to form sentences, or complete thoughts.

To compound this challenge, Areli was recently diagnosed with Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS). While this is very common in people with epilepsy, Areli’s diagnosis appears to be causing further scarring along her fallopian tubes. This is deeply concerning because she has already survived two ectopic pregnancies. With the constant threat of epilepsy added to that, her medical team strongly advised that she needs a salpingectomy (removal of her fallopian tubes) immediately. This surgery was deemed necessary to eliminate future risks and should also help alleviate some of the severe, chronic pelvic pain she’s experiencing after her seizures. Timothy and Areli are completely overwhelmed by the medical bills piling up from the constant ER visits and ongoing care. Your donation right now is a lifeline. Every single dollar will go directly to helping them pay down the mountain of medical debt, cover the costs of this necessary upcoming surgery, and help Timothy keep their family afloat so Areli can focus 100% on fighting for her recovery and getting her seizures under control.