December has been a rough month for my sister. For the past several weeks, she has been violently ill and unable to sleep or breathe properly. A few days before Christmas, while many of us were wrapping gifts or making plans, my sister was admitted to the hospital for an extensive stay in the ICU. She was diagnosed with a large pleural effusion with an empyema. This basically means that her entire left lung was filled with pus and became septic. After undergoing a procedure to implant a chest tube, the doctors determined that more drastic measures had to be taken. My sister is currently recovering from surgery to remedy the damage to her lungs. After the surgery, she will have to remain hospitalized in the ICU for at least one week if not more.

While the surgery was a success, she has a difficult and expensive road to recovery ahead. My sister had to be placed on leave without pay from her work, and her boyfriend is currently a full time student. Additionally, she currently does not have health insurance and our family resources have been devoted to caring for our ailing grandmother. While my sister’s life is the most important factor, my family is wrecked with how we will come together to afford this life-saving procedure.

I have chosen to keep my sisters name anonymous here because she would hate to have anyone beg for help on her behalf. But the unfortunate reality is that we are in dire need. If you have the ability, I humbly ask that you consider donating to support my sister and my family. If you are not able to contribute monetarily, please consider sharing this with any friends or family who may be interested in assisting. Thank you all for your time and thoughts as we hope for a speedy recovery