My name is Kim, and I’m launching this fundraiser to support my lifelong friend Rupinder, one of the most extraordinary people I am so grateful to have in my life.

If you know Rupinder, you know her as one of the most resilient, selfless and beautiful souls you've ever met - Whether she’s acting as a devoted mom, wife, sister, nurse, or friend. What many people don’t see is how much she has been quietly carrying for years.

Since her early 20s, Rupinder has been living with severe fistulizing Crohn’s disease, which has required more than 30 hospitalizations and several major surgeries over the past 18 years.

In 2023, she nearly lost her life to Group A strep pneumonia. She needed emergency surgery, three chest tubes, and fistula repair surgery that same year, followed by additional surgery in 2024. Because of her illnesses, she has spent much of the past three years on medical leave.

Over the last year, her endometriosis has worsened significantly. Her most recent MRI showed Stage IV deep infiltrating endometriosis with extensive disease, including bowel involvement. In simple terms, many of the organs in her pelvis are now fused together. She lives with severe pelvic, abdominal, and back pain, along with fatigue and brain fog that affect nearly every part of her daily life. Chronic pain has been part of her life for years, but it has now become much worse.

Due to her extensive medical and surgical history, she needs a highly specialized multidisciplinary team, including an excision-trained endometriosis surgeon, a general surgeon, a colorectal surgeon, and other specialists.

Her case was considered too complex for the Women’s Centre in BC, and she has not been able to access the surgical care she needs in Canada. She therefore began seeking specialized treatment abroad, including consultation with the Athens Endometriosis Center in Greece, where her case was also considered too complex.

After extensive research, Rupinder has now been accepted by a specialized endometriosis center in Bucharest, Romania, for the surgery she needs. This surgery offers real hope — not just for pain relief, but for a better quality of life and the ability to be more present for her daughter.

However, it also comes with significant financial strain and the total cost of this surgery will be close to $30, 000. Funds raised will help cover:

• surgery and hospital costs

• travel and accommodation

• recovery expenses and medical supplies

Asking for help is not something that comes naturally to Rupinder, but right now she needs the support of her village. For this reason, I would like to ask for your support on her behalf.

If you can donate, your generosity would be so much appreciated. If not, sharing this page would mean just as much.

Every contribution will help bring Rupinder closer to the care she needs and deserves.

Thank you so much for any support you can provide.

— Kim