Help Leia Get Life-Saving Gallbladder Surgery

My name is Corey, and I’m fundraising for my 16-year-old daughter, Leia.

For months, Leia has been struggling with what her pediatrician believed was acid reflux. She pushed through the discomfort, never imagining it was something much more serious. But today, everything changed.

This morning, Leia woke up with severe chest pain. After dropping her friend off at school, the pain became unbearable and she came home instead of going to class. I immediately stayed home from work to care for her and ran to the store to get what she needed to feel comfortable. While I was out, she called me in tears, saying, “Dad, I need to go to the hospital. I can’t take the pain.”

I rushed home and drove her straight to the ER.

After hours of tests, doctors discovered that Leia had a gallstone blocking her bile duct, causing damage to her liver. They also found that her gallbladder is full of stones, which explains the months of pain she tried so hard to push through.

Doctors are now preparing to do an endoscopy to remove the blockage and confirm the extent of the damage. After that, she will need a surgery to remove her gallbladder to prevent this from ever happening again.

We are uninsured, and the costs of emergency care, imaging, procedures, and surgery are far more than we can handle alone. But I’m doing everything I can to make sure my daughter gets the care she needs, without delay.

Leia is an incredibly bright, artistic, and caring young woman. She loves drawing, crochets gifts for her friends, and is active in her school’s theater club—especially anything involving musicals. She dreams of working with kids in the arts after graduation and looks forward to being a mother someday. She has her whole future ahead of her, and I want nothing more than to see her healthy, safe, and smiling again.

Any amount you can give—no matter how small—will help us cover her treatment and recovery. If you can’t donate, please consider sharing this campaign. Your kindness means more than you know.

Thank you for helping Leia get the care she urgently needs.

-Corey