Rachel is the kind of person who shows up — for her family, her job, and everyone around her — even when her own body is failing her.
She is 38 years old. She is a wife to Jason and a devoted mom to two incredible children, Emma and Elissa. And she is fighting for her life.
Rachel has Type 2 diabetes that was diagnosed when she was 18. At that time, she was unable able to access consistent medical care or afford insulin and the damage was significant. Scraping together the funds to visit her doctors brought lists of prescriptions she could not afford to purchase. Years of unmanaged diabetes quietly ravaged her body, leading to a long list of severe complications — most critically, complete kidney failure.
For the past seven years, Rachel has been on the kidney transplant list.
Seven years of waiting.
Seven years of hoping.
Seven years of living in survival mode.
Recently, Rachel was matched with a donor kidney — a moment filled with overwhelming hope. But heartbreak followed when the kidney was deemed non-viable. The opportunity slipped away, and the wait continues.
While waiting for the call that could come any day, Rachel undergoes at-home dialysis four times a week, for four hours each session, all while working full-time and raising her children. Dialysis is exhausting. It is painful. It steals time, energy, and normalcy — yet Rachel keeps going.
In addition to kidney failure, Rachel faces other serious medical complications related to diabetes. The cost of staying alive has been immense. From surgeries on her dialysis arm to shots in her eyes to prevent blindness, there seems to be no end to procedures that are necessary.
Medical bills have drained the family’s savings and forced them into predatory debt — the kind families turn to when there are no other options. They’ve done everything right, and still, the burden keeps growing.
When Rachel finally receives her transplant, she will be unable to work for at least three months during recovery. That loss of income, combined with hospital expenses and ongoing medical costs, is overwhelming.
This is where we come in.
We are raising funds to help cover:
- Three months of basic living expenses while Rachel recovers
- Medical and hospital-related costs not covered by insurance
- Relief from crushing debt caused by years of necessary medical care
This fundraiser is organized by Rachel’s family — Laura, Savannah, Travis, and their spouses Dave, Tim, and Alex — because Rachel would never ask for this help herself. But she deserves it.
Rachel has shared her journey before with the Renal Support Network and under the hashtag #RachelNeedsAKidney, and now we’re asking you to help her hold on — just a little longer — until that life-saving call comes.
If you're interested in registering as a living donor, UTMB has Rachel on their list. Contact us for more details.
If you can donate, thank you.
If you can’t, please share.
Every single dollar helps keep this family afloat during the hardest chapter of their lives — and brings Rachel one step closer to healing.
Let’s carry Rachel and her family through this season — together.