Hi, I’m Katie! I’ve watched my best friend Shaelyn carry more on her shoulders than most people could imagine. She’s not the type to ask for help- ever. In fact, I’ve had to convince her to let me even start/share this because she’s always the one taking care of everyone else. However right now, she needs the support. If anyone deserves support, love, and a fighting chance—it’s her.

She has been diagnosed with a rare autoimmune and blood disease—so rare that only 2% of people have it, and most doctors will never even see it in their entire careers. It’s aggressive. It’s painful. It’s terrifying, and it’s been silently stealing her life away for years while she was misdiagnosed, dismissed, and told it was all in her head. Now? It’s progressed to a point where if we don’t stop it soon, it could take her life.

She is a single mom of two incredible kids—one of whom has serious behavioral needs. She had her youngest baby just ten days after her significant other was sent to prison. She’s been navigating motherhood, emotional devastation, financial strain, school, and now—this brutal disease—completely on her own.

Yet somehow, through every moment of heartbreak and hardship, she kept pushing. She put herself through college, working full time while managing 23 credits, and still showed up for her kids every single day. She sacrificed sleep, meals, peace of mind—everything—because she believed in building a better future for them. She even landed her dream job, something she worked herself to the bone for.

But now her body can’t keep up. The pain is daily, unrelenting. She's on chemotherapy, high-dose steroids, constant infusions… and those treatments are not just exhausting—they're changing her. Her beautiful Native hair, a symbol of her strength and identity, is starting to fall out. Her body is bloated, her face swollen, and when she looks in the mirror, she barely recognizes the woman staring back. It's not just a physical battle—it's emotional, spiritual, all-consuming.

And through it all? She still cries silently so her daughters don’t see. She still finds a way to laugh with them, to hold their hands, to keep showing up—no matter how broken she feels inside.

She’s terrified of treatments failing, of not being able to fight much longer. Of losing everything she's fought so hard for. She keeps going—because that’s who she is. She’s a fighter. A mother. A warrior.

She’s endured abandonment, betrayal, loss, and unimaginable pressure. She’s had to navigate a relationship from behind prison walls, raise her daughters alone, face one crisis after another—and still, she shows up for everyone. For her kids. For her friends. For anyone who needs her. She never asks for anything. Never complains. Never stops loving with her whole heart.

Life doesn’t stop just because of a life threatening illness. Shae is currently unable to work, and still has normal bills let alone the medical bills.

If you’re reading this, please—help me lift up the strongest woman I know. Help her fight this battle and hold on to the life she’s worked so hard to build. Any donation, any share, any prayer matters. She won’t ask for help, but I will ask for her—because she deserves this more than anyone I know.

She’s not just fighting a disease. She’s fighting for her life. For her girls. For the future she’s sacrificed everything for.