Donate to help our sister...

To our friends and family...

My youngest sister, Milan, and I are reaching out to you with a humble and heavy heart to ask you to help our sister, Sahara.

Sahara has had some of the most challenging weeks of her life this past month. On Tuesday, February 7th, Sahara began experiencing excruciating stomach pain which led to her being admitted to Cedars-Sinai Hospital in Los Angeles on Wednesday, Feb. 8. After several tests, it was discovered that she had a bowel obstruction caused by scar tissue from a surgery she had just 15 months ago to fix a stricture in her intestines caused by her Crohn's.

Sahara was diagnosed with Crohn’s disease in the winter of her freshman year of high school, at just age 15. She has been in and out of remission, dealt with C-Diff on top of the inflammation of Crohn's, endured trials of different medications and therapeutics finally finding the most relief from Remicade infusions (intravenous) every eight weeks, countless colonoscopies, a stricture in her intestines resulting in her first surgery November 5th, 2021, and now this…

After being admitted, a NG (nasogastric) tube was placed to help drain the obstruction before turning to surgery. Sahara had this tube for five days and was not allowed to eat or drink. With little drainage from the NG tube, the medical team felt surgery was the only route. On February 15th Sahara had her second surgery in 15 months to remove the obstruction and create a stoma for a temporary ostomy bag so that her intestines may find some relief and heal. After surgery, our sister was admitted to the ICU because her blood pressure and heart rate plummeted. Fortunately, our mother was able to be by her side during this time but she had to return home because she has no more PTO.

Our sister's heart rate remained at an elevated rate of 150 bpm even when resting and she was having a hard time breathing. After more scans, they discovered multiple abscesses with infectious fluid in her abdomen, lung and behind her lung. During the Feb. 15th surgery, Sahara's bowel burst open leaking fecal matter into her body. The surgical team did their best to clean out the toxic material but some of it was left behind. They were able to drain some of the fluid through a needle but on Friday, Feb. 24th, Sahara had to undergo a third surgery. This time to clear up an abscess behind her lung that could not be safely accessed via CT-guided drain. There was concern they would damage her liver and spleen. Our sister now sits in her hospital bed with an open wound down the middle of her stomach stuffed with gauze.

In addition to the pain and discomfort of multiple surgeries and a prolonged hospital stay, Sahara has exhausted all of her vacation and sick leave at her new job, a job she began full-time with just after the new year. Insurance will cover a lot of her treatment but not all of it. Her last bill for Remicade was $1,800 and that is just her bi-monthly intravenous medication. Not only has she had two major surgeries but countless tests, medications, and a four week hospital stay, but she will require ongoing care from an in-home nurse, therapy from a PT and an ostomy nurse. She has lost wages and is supposed to have yet another surgery in a few months to close up her stoma (for the ostomy bag).

Donations will help with our sister's medical bills, in-home health care, the cost of her fourth surgery in a few months to close her stoma and remove her ostomy bag, loss of wages and further support she will need from family on the East Coast.

We appreciate any amount you can donate because every cent matters. Whether it is 50¢, $1, $15 or $100 - it all adds up and makes a HUGE difference in our sister's and our family's lives. Thank you so much for taking the time to read this message, share it on social media and donating to our fund.

All of our gratitude and love,

London and Milan