Healing Haley

I’m Kelsey, and I’m writing this because my friends Haley and Matt are drowning under the weight of something they never saw coming. And if you know them, you know they’d never ask for help, even when they’re fighting for Haley’s life.

Haley was diagnosed with kidney disease in 2021. Since then, she and Matt have done everything humanly possible to beat it. Specialists, acupuncture, treatments, strict diets, you name it, they’ve tried it. All the while, they kept giving back to others. They both have been a huge part of Revell With A Cause, working with Life Rolls On’s adaptive surf program every summer, and dedicating time to Little Pink Houses of Hope, a breast cancer nonprofit. They never stopped showing up for their community, even as Haley’s health continued to slip away.

Now, they’re out of options. Haley’s kidneys are functioning at only 3-4%. She needs a transplant, and she needs it fast. She’s currently being evaluated at Duke for the transplant list, but until then, all they can do is try to keep her stable.

She recently underwent surgery to place a dialysis access (fistula) and will begin dialysis soon. This past week, she was hospitalized for an emergency blood transfusion and iron infusions because her body simply couldn’t keep up anymore.

Haley and Matt are small business owners trying to hold their lives together with out-of-pocket insurance and a savings account that’s quickly vanishing under the weight of specialist visits, surgery costs, hospital bills, lost income, and the constant travel expenses for appointments at Duke where she’s being worked up for the transplant list.

And that’s not the worst part. Because of this disease, Haley will never be able to carry a child. Her last chance to preserve their dream of having a family is now. A narrow, shrinking window to harvest her eggs through a costly fertility preservation procedure before dialysis and transplant take that possibility away forever. They’re holding on to hope that one day, with the help of a surrogate, they can build the family they’ve dreamed of.

It’s a nightmare scenario. Fighting to survive while the life you planned slips through your fingers.

I’m asking for your help because Haley and Matt deserve SO MUCH MORE than this disease has tried to take from them. They’ve always been the first to show up for others, and now we get the chance to show up for them.

Every single dollar makes a difference. Whether it’s covering medical bills, travel expenses, the fertility preservation process, or just keeping their heads above water as they fight for a future together.

If you can donate, please do. If you can’t, sharing their story could be the difference between someone seeing this and saving her life.

Haley’s documenting her journey in a video series you can follow here (https://www.instagram.com/p/DHB57fIvyvq/). She’s also shared her announcement about needing a transplant and more details in her newsletter a few weeks ago here, (https://view.flodesk.com/emails/67c61107167696a81b6c8cbf). It’s raw, real, and painfully honest. Because that’s who she is.

Thank you for reading. Thank you for caring. And thank you for standing with Haley and Matt when they need it most.

With all my heart,

Kelsey