Hello! My name is Laurie and I am a 40 year old mom to 3 and wife. I was diagnosed with Acute Myeloid Leukemia in August of 2020 and received a stem cell transplant from my brother in December of 2020. Since then, I have been struggling with Graft Versus Host Disease (GVHD) which is a potentially fatal disease that attacks different organs. Right now, I am battling GVHD of the mouth, skin, eyes, fascia, and liver, but it can start attacking other organs at any time. It is severely debilitating and some days I can’t even get out of bed. I don’t leave my house much because I don’t have much energy these days. I am anemic and currently receiving iron infusions.

I receive monthly infusions of chemo, IVIG, iron, and sometimes potassium. This appointment. Is where I will also see my oncology team and get labs drawn. I still require monthly labs because I am not hemodynamically stable. I also see several different specialists, one for each area of GVHD, plus more. All of my appointments and doctors are at Northwestern in Chicago which is about 30 miles and costs $30 to park.

it is incredibly expensive to be chronically sick. From copays to my costs, parking to lunches, it is crazy how much one infusion day costs me.

i currently have an outstanding bill from Northwestern for just over $5,000 that needs to get paid in order for me to continue to receive my lifesaving treatment. There are not many places that I can go for treatment because GVHD is a rare and difficult disorder to treat.

I am humbly asking for help with my medical bills. I am asking for anything you can, even a share or a heart. I truly appreciate anyone that took the time to hear my story.