It's impossible to describe someone's essence... what makes someone uniquely them. But I can try to describe my baby sister, Noelle, to you in one short story. 

Noelle started noticing people standing on the corner, asking for food and money, when she was young. She found it incredibly distressing. 

There was no amount of reason or logic that made the more tolerable to Noelle. 

She rallied our two younger siblings (Gabi and Isaac), and they spent their savings on creating backpacks... Bags lovingly filled with snacks, a blanket, socks, and other essential items for those without a home. Not a single homeless person in Kalamazoo was passed by without receiving a backpack from Noelle and her little gang (Gabi and Isaac). 

Noelle lets no one hurt alone. ...And now, she needs you. 

• Noelle was diagnosed with aggressive, mediastinal large b-cell lymphoma after 9 days of in-patient procedures and trauma. (TLDR: it’s really bad, and it’s all in her lungs) Upon admission, her heart was surrounded by 500 mL of fluid due to the cancer.
• She continues to have procedures to remove the fluid. 
• Noelle has two roommates in the hospital.
• Roommate 1: a (now) 5-week-old, gorgeous newborn named Hasini Rae. (Literally, a princess.) She cries… a lot.
• Roommate 2: her husband, Jeneeth, is so very loving, and he a missionary from India to the United States. (We adore him.) And he cries… sometimes. 

They have a long 6 months ahead of them. She will have intensive chemo (5 days inpatient every 21 days). 

They were living on a shoestring budget BEFORE the emergencies and diagnosis, due to her job helping middle schoolers who are struggling behaviorally in school and his job as a hospice chaplain. 

 We need your help today. ANY amount that you can spare is deeply meaningful. 

Whether it's $5, $10, $1,000... you must know, it matters. You matter. And she needs you.  

Practically speaking, the funds are urgently needed for ongoing medical bills, rent, diapers, breast milk, and food — as well as the little things that keep someone going through treatment, like head scarves, wigs, and pajamas that accommodate medical tubes. AND... we pray a HEALING TRIP with her family when Noelle conquers this and her body has HEALED. 

-Danielle (Big Sis)

PS: Noelle is just 29 — forever my baby sister. If you’re able to give, I promise to send updates so you can celebrate every step forward with us. Please grab her hand.... Tell her life is waiting for her and Hasini and Jeneeth on the other side. She needs you more than ever.