I’m writing this on behalf of my stepdad, Cliff, who has always stepped up for his family and loved ones. He is a wonderful Pop Pop to his grandkids and a great friend to have in life. On Sunday, September 28th, he was rushed to the ER with what we thought was a painful but manageable kidney stone. He was sent home and throughout the next week began getting progressively weaker, was in terrible pain, and barely able to eat. On Saturday Waeva had noticed his skin had turned yellow with jaundice. He could barely make it to the car but needed to go back to the hospital.

The kidney stone had passed but caused a blockage that led to sepsis and sent him into acute kidney and liver failure. The ER team swarmed him, and within minutes, he was admitted to a unit just one step below the ICU.

Cliff is a fighter. His lab results are slowly moving in the right direction, and he's a little more like himself each day. When he is finally discharged, he will face a mountain of medical bills and the need to follow a very restrictive diet and lifestyle to protect his kidneys and liver.

We are launching this GoFundMe to help alleviate the immense financial pressure that comes with a medical crisis of this magnitude. Any donation will go directly to his medical bills and the costs of his ongoing care, allowing him to focus on what matters. He gets emotional when his wife, Waeva, leaves his room, telling her, "If you didn't bring me in, I would have died."

We are so incredibly grateful for the amazing doctors and nurses caring for him, and we will be forever grateful for any support you can provide.