Many of you may know my sister Jill and bits of her not so fun health journey this past year with her heart. Jill's situation has come to a head, she has non-ischemic cardiomyopathy, which means she is in the late stage of heart failure. This is absolutely devastating, as our mother was given the same diagnosis at 26 and received a heart at 34 years old. She passed away at 45. Life has thrown some curve balls at Jill in her 34 years of life, and she has taken it in stride with humor and stoicism, grinding out a beautiful successful life. Jill will be presented to the transplant committee on Tuesday officially, with a goal to list her as a 2a status. She will then be placed in the ICU with a balloon in her heart to help it pump while she waits. She will remain in the ICU until she receives a new heart.

After the transplant, Jill will need to be near the hospital for at least 3 months. Jill and her wife Melissa have already missed a lot of work, and both will not be returning for months. Jill's insurance does not cover the cost of housing. This is where I hope to make a difference for her and Melissa. I would like to raise enough money so that they can stay ahead of the bills, maintain their house here in Port Angeles, and cover the cost of a rental in Seattle. The goal is to alleviate the financial burden so they can breathe a little easier as they walk this very scary part of their lives.

Despite being the littlest, she is the rock and glue of our family. She is also the funniest (if rather dark) person I know. A lot of you have laughed with her and also have been humbled by her perseverance, which is why I don’t hesitate to ask that you consider donating or sharing this GoFundMe within our community. From every part of my heart, thank you.