Brooke is one of the kindest souls you could ever meet and one of my closest friends. Life has been beyond challenging for her and yet, she continues to put a smile on, even during this uncertain time with degenerative disc disease and its many possibilities.

Her medical bills are overwhelming, far exceeding what insurance will cover, what insurance is refusing to that the doctors will not bend on needing. Also with the possibility of minor surgeries for other adjustments all in hopes to give her the best possible chance at life.

Recently, the disease had reached a critical point and she was forced to reconstruct her whole cervical spine, replacing the failed fusion from 2021 and also, fusing her whole posterior spine so that she can have some stabilization and possibly live a semi-enjoyable life again. With that said, nothing will ever be the same for someone so young and the fear of the unknown, of what is coming next or what challenges she will face, as she continues to try and live and love her limited life.

On top of dealing with the physical and emotional symptoms of it all—medical bills and bills in general—add up faster than she can even think. She’s been disabled since 2019 after having to leave her professional career, always with the intention and hopes/prayers that she would get better and return to finish what she worked her butt off to build.

For those of you who may not know her or her full story, just know this much—Brooke has been fighting for her “life” for over two decades. She suffers from things that many of us out here also struggle with but also, many things that we do not. She has not been treated with the compassion she deserved because she was not rolling around in a wheelchair. She has had to physically and mentally fight for everything she has and continues to. She does it for her family and to show the world that she belongs here and that she is not going to let this disease win. She was not only a single mom but also worked two jobs while completing school—first her bachelor’s degree, then her master’s in Accounting and Finance Management. Brooke pursued all of this so she could provide the best possible life for her daughter, with the goal of obtaining her CPA license and starting her own firm one day—all while battling degenerative disc disease. Those dreams are on hold for now.

If you can donate, thank you. If you can share this with your community, thank you. Most of all, thank you for recognizing the importance of supporting a woman who has proven time and again that she is nothing short of extraordinary—and who deserves the peace and healing she has been fighting so hard to achieve.