For months, my best friend Sami—who is like a little sister to me—has been living through one medical crisis after another, each compounding the last. What began as eye pain and pressure was repeatedly misdiagnosed as pink eye, delaying the urgent care she truly needed. By the time the severity was recognized, the damage had already progressed. She was ultimately diagnosed with glaucoma and required emergency surgery on her left eye, including the placement of a drainage tube to relieve the pressure threatening her vision.

During this already overwhelming time, Sami learned she was pregnant—a moment of hope in the middle of so much fear. Tragically, she lost her baby at 15 weeks. She is still grieving that loss while continuing to fight for her health. As she was trying to heal physically and emotionally, doctors discovered that her right eye now also requires surgery. She has been rushed between emergency rooms across the region—St. Joseph, Kalamazoo, and Ann Arbor—as specialists work to save her remaining vision.

Right now, Sami cannot work. She cannot drive. She cannot see clearly. She has exhausted all of her paid time off. We are asking for help to cover two months of her rent, the minimum amount of time doctors expect her to be off work while she undergoes surgery and recovery. This support would give her the ability to focus on healing—not on how she will keep a roof over her head while facing blindness, surgery, and unimaginable grief.

Sami has always been there for everyone around her with a warm smile, infectious laugh, open arms, and genuine heart. This is our turn to pay it forward to a girl who has done so much for the ones she loves. Any support you can offer will make a world of difference for Sami as she faces this incredibly difficult journey.