Lisa and I have been best friends since kindergarten, and she has always been the strongest person I know. When we were in seventh grade, doctors discovered she had a severe case of scoliosis. They predicted she would be in a wheelchair before she was thirty without corrective surgery. After the surgery, Lisa grew three inches, and she had to wear a painful brace from her chin to her sternum for a year and a half—an especially tough time to stand out as a teenager. Despite these challenges, Lisa graduated high school and became a beautician, a job that requires her to stand on her feet all day. Forty years later, she has built a successful career, has two children, and one granddaughter.

About eight months ago, Lisa began having trouble standing and walking, eventually developing drop foot. After several tests and multiple spinal surgeries, doctors found three cysts on her thoracic spinal cord. She spent two months at Madonna Rehabilitation in Omaha, Nebraska, and has recently returned home. Lisa now needs help around the house and faces a long road to recovery. She is determined to regain her strength and return to work, but she has been unable to work for the past four months and has no income during this time.

This situation has caused significant financial hardship for Lisa and her significant other, Dennis. Lisa currently pays a nurse to stay with her six and a half hours a day, five days a week. Dennis takes over the rest of the time once he is home from work. This nursing care is not covered by insurance because there is no agency in Lisa’s area that accepts her health insurance. The nurse also provides transportation to Madonna Rehabilitation three times a week—a 140-mile round trip. On top of these expenses, Lisa’s health insurance out-of-pocket maximum, which is substantial, reset at the start of the year just after her surgeries were completed.

Lisa has always been there for others, and now she and Dennis need our support. The funds raised will help with household assistance, medical expenses, nursing care, transportation, and living costs as Lisa focuses on healing. Please consider supporting Lisa and Dennis on this difficult journey. Any help you can give will make a real difference in their lives.