Shelley is facing a Life-Threatening illness!

Hello, everyone. This is a difficult message to write, but a necessary one.

Some of you may recall a friend, neighbor, or business partner I knew in the 1980s, Allen Levin. He raised a daughter all by himself way before fathers were generally considered as an option for sole legal custody. He and his daughter, Shelley, were ahead of their time in that regard.

That said, Allen was always concerned about who would take over should something happen to him. I assured him she’d always have me. It’s a long story, but he passed away in the early 1990s.

Shelley is now facing a life-threatening illness, chronic acute pancreatitis. But having worked most of her life in nonprofit entities, and in recent years dealing with serious complications of the pancreatitis, including lengthy hospitalizations, she simply cannot afford the life-saving medications she needs. She is now on Disability. She has tried every option available, and she does not qualify for assistance with the meds that would save her life. Her doctors told her she has 2-3 years to live without the them, 2-3 decades with the meds.

I always promised Allen I would look after his little girl, even beyond childhood. This is the first time she has needed that promise to be realized. She needs 10k to get her through 1 year and keep her stable.

Shelley has traveled the world teaching and doing service work as much as she can. She’s lived in eight states across the US and in five countries across four continents. She’s visited all 48 contiguous states and approximately 30 countries, on her own dime. She teaches ESL (English as a Second Language), has worked with at-risk kids, and has worked on animal preservation in Asia. She has her BA and MA from two of the top universities in the US, the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and Johns Hopkins. This from two parents who never graduated high school. She was always a special and driven little girl, and those traits have accompanied her into adulthood.

Please help as much as you can. She has spent her entire adult life in educational and communicational endeavors, trying to help everyone in her orbit. She has taught and done service work throughout the US as well as in five countries across four continents, as previously mentioned. It’s her turn.