Hi, I’m Ashley, Mandy’s sister. I’m writing this on her behalf while she’s in the hospital—currently dealing with a severe nosebleed that just won’t stop. She’s waiting on the ENT team to come pack it, and it’s just one more thing on top of everything else she’s been going through.

Mandy has been diagnosed with Rheumatoid Arthritis, which led to Interstitial Lung Disease, and now she’s also developed Pulmonary Hypertension. She’s under the care of a pulmonologist, rheumatologist, ENT, and now a cardiologist too at UAB. It’s been a lot!

In August of 2024, she had to step away from a job she absolutely loved because her health made it impossible to keep working. She was heartbroken. In March, she was offered a small role back at work, and she was so happy to return. Unfortunately, that’s also when her health took another turn for the worse. Mandy was working at WRC, a Vocational Rehabilitation Center that helps individuals with disabilities find employment in the community. She truly loves her jobs and wants nothing more than to get back to it.

I’m sharing all of this because she’s now been in the hospital for 13 days—four hours away from home—and the financial strain is real. I’ve watched her struggle to catch her breath from a nosebleed, pausing mid-sentence like she’s just run a marathon. She needs help, and she deserves it.

So I’m asking for her, with all the love I have.

—Ashley