In the summer of 2021, my mom's best friend and my second mom, Trish Shay, was diagnosed with myelofibrosis. This is a bone marrow cancer. Myelofibrosis causes mutations of the cells in your bone marrow. This leads to an underproduction of red blood cells. The only cure is a stem cell transplant. She was placed on the stem cell transplant list. As she waited to find a donor match, she received periodic blood transfusions. These transfusions allowed her some version of normalcy.

In the fall of 2026, she started needing blood transfusions more frequently due to her red blood cell counts bottoming out. Her fatigue and functional levels worsened. Easter Sunday, she was hospitalized after fainting in church. She learned the results from a recent bone marrow biopsy that she now has High-Risk Myelodysplastic Syndrome (MDS), a form of Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML). This form of cancer crowds out healthy blood cells, making it hard to carry oxygen (red blood cells), fight infection (white blood cells), and stop bleeding when cuts occur (platelets). In this sense, she has no room to produce any of these necessary blood cells because of the overproduction of mutated ones. She is presently undergoing chemotherapy to kill off the mutated cells, and must undergo several rounds before she can receive a transplant.

By the grace of God, not just one donor was found but four. One being almost an 100% match, and the others a 90% match. While we are relieved to find a donor, this is only the beginning of a very long and strenuous process, which truly begins once the doctor determines that Trish’s body will accept these stem cells. After the transplant occurs, Trish will have to stay in isolation for 30 days in the hospital. Thereafter, she will have to be in isolation in her own home for 100 days.

Due to the chemotherapy and the duration of treatment, Trish is unable to work for at least a year. She is the breadwinner of her family, as her husband has been disabled for many years. Presently, she is on short-term disability, but that only lasts for 11 weeks. Afterwards, she will have to apply for long-term disability/ Social Security Disability. When that time comes, she will have to start paying for insurance, which also covers her family as well.

While Trish’s world has stood still, the world of bills, medical costs, and necessities like food still demand to be paid. This is where we need your help. Trish Shay is truly an angel of a woman. She is a generous, kind, and joyful soul. She gives when she has nothing left, sees the good in everyone, and is always present despite her busy schedule. The adversity Trish has faced in her life is enough to have turned her cold, but she is the exact opposite. No matter what comes her way, she tries to find the good in the situation and put her worries into God’s hands. Above all, there is always a smile on her face and a laugh that is ridiculously contagious.

To know my Aunt Trish is to be loved and cared for, and it is now our job to return that favor. Trish would never ask for help, but I know there is a whole community of people who are willing and waiting to help. So please, if you have anything to give, big or small, it is greatly appreciated. If you can’t give, please share this so we can reach a larger audience. Above all, if you have faith, Trish would want you to pray for her. So, donate anything you can and say a prayer. Let us help Trish in the same way she has helped so many of us.