Rachel’s Broken Brain

Hey y’all, I’m starting this fundraiser for my parents, Rachel and Jay Kirgis. As some of you know, my mom was diagnosed with epilepsy in 2018. As she was walking in to take her last final of her last semester before graduating with her degree in psychology from TAMUT, she suffered a grand maul seizure. So with the news of the spicy brain, on top of the Lupus she was diagnosed with in 2005, life got really hard for my mom and dad. Her lupus symptoms were barley controlled, what with side effects and interactions between the 20 medications she takes in a day. All the while having wild seizures until the doctors got the doses just right.  So what did Rachel do? Rachel finished her degree online. She graduated. She got a job in her dream profession and didn’t let anything get in her way. She’s been a fighter her whole life. And this stupid brain surgery isn’t going to get in the way of that. My dad is an artist, musician, and teacher. He’s been the absolute backbone of our family and has never once put himself first. He retired from teaching early to take care of my mom and they’ve since struggled financially. The commute to Little Rock from Bastrop Louisiana is one my dad could make in his sleep. From constant doctors appointments and procedures, scans and blood work, my parents spend the vast majority of their time on the road. On June 14, Rachel underwent the first of a two part operation on her brain. Surgeons placed 15 electrodes throughout her brain to track the source of the seizures, so in the second part of the surgery they’ll hopefully remove whatever part can’t/won’t do it’s job properly. This was very scary for my family because of my moms Lupus, surgery (let alone on her brain) is very dangerous. Luckily, everything went great and she’s recovering well!This is difficult to write, and even more difficult to ask, but we need help. If you feel compelled to help, thank you so much!!! You have no idea what it means to my family. It will mean continued trips to Little Rock, contribute to the rising prescription drug costs, living expenses, and mountains of medical debt.