My name is Michael Lovett. Since last September ,my amazing sister Susiehas been suffering from late stage kidney cancer that's spread to her spine. Her life since then has consited of painful and expensive procedures on a weekly basis. Just this past weekend, she was hospitalized for pulmonary embolisms after having almost passed out at her job.

Susie is an LICSW social worker for Boston Public Schools. She works in a terribly underfunded school district serving the under-served students at a small inclusion school in Dorchester. Her life mission has always been to help ease the sufering of others. For 36 years she's worked in non-profits and public schools serving Boston's most vulnerable kids and families.

Susie is the founder of now the shuttered Hands to Heart Center, which operated for 10 years. The HTHC was responsible for providing thousands of free yoga classes throughout Greater Boston in places like prisons, shelters and residential treatment program.. She found that when she had cancer 30 years ago in her early 20s, yoga was one of he only ways that she could feel better emotionally and physically. She received old school radiation and chemo back then that nearly killed her and made her life hell for over a year. She survived with lifelong risks and consequences.

So now here we are again, Waking Nightmare Part 2 for my sister who has devoted her whole life from middle school to now to helping other people. She does it with relentless compassion, a strong sense of humor and a continuing sense of her own privilege. we all know, social work is not a lucrative field. A few years ago she was ready to get her PhD at her own expense. I asked her why she would take on this expensive endeavor in a field that pays so little. She said she needed it to help people better, to advocate better. She said people with PhDs are paid more attention to, listened to more than those w/o it.

My sister is having her kidney removed soon with a painful 6 week recovery. She's exhausted her sick days and expenses are beginning to pile up.

She needs help herself after a lifetime of helping others less fortunate. Our parents were public school teachers and we grew up in Brockton, MA. We don’t have many resources, we don’t come from money. She’s paid for her two master’s and a bachelor’s degree by herself.

Please consider helping my sister. She deserves it.

Michael Lovett