Hi, my name is Brittany Nelson. I am starting this fundraiser for my baby sister Kelley and her sweet family. Kelley is the sweetest most kind person I know. She has 3 beautiful children and a supportive and loving husband. They desperately need our help.

On August 16th Kelley was admitted to the hospital for Acute Kidney Failure. After several test it was determined Kelley has a very rare autoimmune disease. The doctor says she is 1 in a million, which is not something you want a doctor to say. Kelley has required several blood transfusions, plasmapheresis (which removes your plasma and replaces it with donor plasma), and daily dialysis to save her life. Kelley spent a month in the hospital receiving treatments, while her husband Colby struggled to care for her needs and the needs of their three children. They have been blessed with wonderful family, friends, and neighbors who have donated their time to help care for their family. They are so grateful for this. However, the financial burden of a long-term illness was quite unexpected and has put a strain on them financially.

Kelley is home now, but continues to need around the clock care. She is receiving dialysis 5 days a week each treatment takes about 3-4 hours. Colby has had to use family leave without pay to care for the needs of their family. We are unsure how much of this expense will be covered by insurance due to the rare diagnoses. The cost of Kelley’s very expensive daily medications all has to be paid for out of pocket, including the expense of daily trips to dialysis, and child care. Many of the treatments Kelley is receiving are more expensive when done using insurance, so they have had to absorb this cost as well. It also has not covered a large portion of doctor’s visits. Kelley has been referred to a specialist in North Carolina because there is no one else who treats her condition. We are hopeful he will treat her remotely but it will depend on her needs.

At this time, we do not know the extent of damage to Kelley’s kidneys. We do not know how long she will need dialysis. There has been talk of a possible kidney transplant in the future. With an autoimmune disease, a kidney transplant requires the recipient to be in remission for 1 year. We are hoping for a better outcome.

All funds raised will go to medical expenses and the cost of living without an income (rent, food, child care). Any amount during this desperate time is greatly appreciated. We would also like to thank the many doctors, nurses, hospital staff, and blood donors who have so diligently saved Kelley’s life.