Saun needs our help!

There are a lot of people in this big beautiful world that love my sister. If you are one of those people or even if you know any of them, then this message is for you.

My sister needs our help.

I have watched Saun move through the world my whole life, and I am so proud of her. If you know her, it’s safe to say that you have experienced her genuine love, extraordinary kindness, and sincere friendship. You may know her as an authentic and trustworthy mentor, beautiful sister, loving mom, brilliant teacher, powerful advocate, or loyal supporter—for me, it’s been all of the above! She has impacted hundreds of lives and made us all better in some way or another. When we have needed support, Saun has given it to us. She has shown up for every one of us, each and every time.

What you may not know about Saun, because she would NEVER want you to worry about HER, and because she doesn’t talk about herself and the things she’s going through, is that she is engaged in a daily fight with several incurable, life-threatening, chronic illnesses that almost took her light from this world less than a year ago. And the last few months have honestly been nearly as bad. My sister is really sick. Her fire for and quality of life have been impacted in ways I can’t describe.

On top of the sarcoidosis she has been battling for over a decade, she now also has an aggressive form of lung disease (for which she receives regular chemotherapy infusions at Mayo Clinic), as well as congestive heart failure (for which she has to use portable tank oxygen 24/7). As a result of these and several autoimmune illnesses, since the beginning of April, Saun has been in the ICU four times and has spent a total of nearly 12 weeks in the hospital. The fight seems to get harder and more complicated each and every time.

You wouldn’t think things could get any worse, but in July, she was denied for disability (we have no idea how!), after waiting on her application for seven months - seven months when she was not allowed to work because the application was pending and she wouldn’t have been able to work anyway because of her illnesses. Fortunately, she has found a great pro bono lawyer who is very confident about her appeal, but even if that is successful, an approval is still 6-7 months away.

With literally no income, Saun’s personal/medical expenses (rent, insurance/co-pays, bills, transportation, medications, medical supplies, etc.) have been piling up and causing so much stress, anxiety and uncertainty. And on top of all the medical stuff, it has all just been extremely overwhelming.

Next week (September 8) is Saun’s birthday. At this difficult time, a monetary gift from you would be an amazing way to celebrate her! You can help pay off some of her debts, help purchase items to keep her safe/comfortable at home, alleviate stress, and maybe we could even raise enough money so that she can do something nice for herself too!

I hope we can all go deep into our memories and think about everything Saun has done for us and the good she brings to the world, then go deep into our pockets, wallets, purses, and bank accounts and do whatever we can to help her get through this tough time.

EVERY gift is a blessing, and we thank you in advance for your help!

This opportunity will be ongoing! So even if you see-hear about-find out about this after Saun’s birthday, you can still support!