Early in Stephanie’s adolescence, she was diagnosed with severe Crohn’s disease. Her journey since then has been a myriad of countless surgeries, hospitalizations, medications, doctor visits, etc. At age 18, despite her and her doctors’ best efforts, she ended up with a life-saving permanent ileostomy. After having her entire colon removed, she had to postpone her first year of college. Having an ileostomy has created its own set of daily problems, including leaking bags at inopportune moments and expensive supplies not covered by insurance.

Regardless of the adversities Steph has faced, she is currently a 5th-year PhD candidate on the cusp of graduating. Her PhD is in immunobiology with a focus on Crohn’s related etiology. She hopes to make a significant scientific discovery and actually has promising data that will one day help treat the millions of people who suffer from her same illness.

On October 13, 2024, Stephanie’s husband, David, had to call 911. After months of becoming increasingly sick, unable to keep food and liquids down, Steph took a turn for the worse. She was grabbing at her chest, shaking uncontrollably, and unable to respond. An ambulance rushed her to the hospital where it was discovered that multiple organs were on the brink of failure, several electrolytes were out of balance with sodium being so low that she was at risk of seizures. They admitted her to the ICU and began intervention. After having been hospitalized for 9 days, she was discharged home on 3X daily sodium tabs and a medication to raise her blood pressure. Stephanie is still very weak and short of breath.

We are asking for any help you can give to support Stephanie and David during this difficult time with a goal of raising $20,000 to help cover the ambulance and costly hospital stay. Any monetary and/or prayer support is greatly appreciated.