My name is Melanie. Our family is currently experiencing financial hardship due to my sister's serious health issues that have been ongoing for the past five years.

My sister was the recipient of a liver transplant due to an autoimmune-related liver disease when she was in her mid-20s. Until a few years ago, she had been doing well, with minimal issues relating to her transplant. Unfortunately, the immunosuppressant medication to keep her from rejecting the donor liver has destroyed her kidneys. She now has end-stage renal disease and is in need of a kidney transplant. She currently gets dialysis on a regular basis.

This is only part of the issue though. For the past few years, it seems like one new health issue after another keeps getting added onto her already weak body. Only in her mid-50s, she has AFib, high blood pressure, blood clots, has a pacemaker, has had a heart attack, and congestive heart failure. We've almost lost her multiple times. Then on top of it all, the liver disease drastically altered her bones. She has had multiple fractures, including in the spine, and is at risk for more, most recently breaking her foot during physical therapy. She is confined to a wheelchair and bed at this point and has bounced around from home, hospital stays, to rehab facilities for years.

My parents are her primary caregivers. Their ages (85 & 79) make this not only a great physical burden but a large financial one as well. My brother-in-law works to keep their insurance and home in Bowling Green taken care of, but even with private insurance and Medicare together, the medical bills have been piling up with no end in sight. Savings have been exhausted at this point as well.

We are fundraising to help cover the mounting medical bills and provide some financial relief for our family during this incredibly challenging time.