This is a story of a very courageous young woman, our warrior, Kalei.

In April of 2018, Kalei was diagnosed with a genetic blood clotting disorder, Factor 5 Leiden. She has been battling this blood disorder ever since.

Many people have never heard of this disorder; I know that we hadn’t. Unfortunately, it’s not something that is even tested for until there is a problem.

Fast forward to today, she has been diagnosed with more problems stemming from the blood clots that have scarred her lungs and the remaining clots that doctors are not able to remove. Kalei is in the hospital again. Unfortunately, her condition has not improved, and even with medication, she’s suiting up for another round of battles. Kalei has a warrior's spirit and heart, but it doesn’t make it easy. Kalei and her fiancé Max are getting by; however, she has been unable to work. She is trying to get disability benefits. As many of you who have dealt with the state know, this is a hard situation for them. Fingers crossed she/they will be approved. Until then, they can use the help. Max is currently working from her hospital room, watching her being poked and prodded, waiting for her surgeries. There will be many rounds of this. Her condition makes it next to impossible for her to hold down a job.

We are praying for miracles to happen all the way around, and believe me when I say, He has been present. If these surgeries are not successful, the next option will be open heart surgery, again, just like back in 2018.

Max and Kalei deserve to have peace in their life. If you could help out in any way possible, I know they would greatly appreciate it. Every little bit helps them. Prayers are always welcome!!

This is from her Facebook page:

Hi friends and family! Most of you that know me know of everything that happened back in 2018, and unfortunately, I am here to tell you that I am still going through health troubles.

After my open heart surgery, I was diagnosed with asthma. A little over a year ago, I found out I never had asthma and in fact have something much more complicated. I got diagnosed with CTEPH or CTED (Chronic Thromboembolic Pulmonary Hypertension). CTEPH is often undiagnosed. If left untreated, patients with CTEPH have a life expectancy of between 1 and 3 years. CTEPH usually starts with a pulmonary embolism (PE), which is a blood clot that gets stuck in the lungs. In about 3% to 5% of people with a PE, the clot remains in the lungs long-term. Over time, the clot turns into scar tissue that clogs the arteries in the lungs, limiting blood flow.

As some people may know, I have had many blood clots in the past with two new ones discovered in August, for which I was hospitalized and unsuccessfully treated.

The treatment plan for my CTEPH includes 6-8 procedures called Balloon Pulmonary Angioplasty (BPA). BPA involves inflating tiny balloons inside the pulmonary artery to widen it, decrease pulmonary arterial pressure, and open up areas to allow blood flow and oxygen to the parts of my lungs that are blocked with scar tissue.

It was discovered with a couple of procedures that the paths of my lower left lobes in my lungs are completely blocked by scar tissue, and the middle left lobes are partially blocked, as well as many randomly placed clots all around my lungs.

I have been unable to work for the last few months since I have been unable to breathe or even get out of bed some days.

I will be at UW Medical in Seattle for these procedures for the next couple of weeks due to the blood thinners I am on. It needs to be monitored before and after my procedure.

Procedure dates will be November 14th and November 22nd. The specialist I will be seeing will go in twice in the span of a week for my first round of procedures. And each cluster will be a couple of months apart at the very least. After procedures 3/4, if the doctor finds out there is not much he can do, I will be referred to a hospital in San Diego where they may proceed with another open heart surgery.

Unfortunately, there is no way of knowing how these procedures will go until the first one is done. There is no way to know how extensive the scar tissue is or how many of these procedures I will need. Imaging helps, but it’s only a partial guide.

These last few months have been incredibly stressful on my mental health, and I would absolutely appreciate all the love and support I receive. I almost didn’t say anything to anyone until I knew what would happen with the first procedure, but I decided to post something now. I am terrified of these procedures and the outcome from them. There is a chance I will never feel any different than I do now. But I don’t want my fear to get in the way of sharing my story with the people I love.

If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out to me (with the understanding that I may not be able to get back to everyone, and I apologize ahead of time for that).

I will try and keep people updated on everything going on, but it’s been hard to focus on anything other than my health the last few months.

Thank you to those that read this and support my family and me. I do want everyone to know how much I appreciate everyone’s support and love. Thank you

From the bottom of our hearts, thank you! Please share and share. Get the word out. You too may save a life just by sharing her story!!