Sam Simons, my friend and coworker, has shown incredible strength through a series of medical crises that began in 2020. After undergoing a hysterectomy for precancerous cells, Sam developed hemorrhagic cysts that required repeated surgeries. In 2023, she suffered respiratory arrest and needed emergency open-heart surgery in Seattle. Complications from that surgery led to severe pericarditis, multiple ICU stays, and long-term high-dose steroid treatment. In May 2025, Sam traveled to the Mayo Clinic for an open-heart pericardectomy. Shortly after returning to work, she became critically ill again with sepsis, pneumonia, and heart failure. The long-term steroid use caused avascular necrosis, which has destroyed her joints. Sam has already needed a total hip replacement and knee surgery, and now the condition has spread to her shoulders, elbows, and both knees.

Throughout all of this, Sam continues to fight not only for herself, but for her two daughters and her son, who need their mom healthy and present. As a nurse, Sam has always been the one showing up for others—now she needs support. Between overwhelming medical bills, travel expenses, and extended time away from work, the financial burden has become immense, compounding the physical and emotional toll she continues to endure.