I am starting this GoFundMe for my sister, Shelley Tolcher and her family. My sister is going through kidney failure and is currently at UCLA in the ICU. Her turn for the worst started November 17th. She has been in and out of the hospital since. Initially, she was told she had rheumatoid arthritis and prescribed a chemo pill called methotrexate. This pill was supposed to help her “RA” but did just the opposite. The physical pain was intense, her blood pressure was 217/180 and caused debilitating migraines that were making her physically sick. Shelley was then admitted to Pomona Valley Hospital for two weeks where we found out she was suffering from a UTI and a bacterial infection. She was released right before Christmas. While waiting on the holidays to receive the rest of the results to come through, on 12/28/2022, the doctor called and said Shelley has TMA (Thrombotic Microangiopathies). The doctor said to immediately take her to UCLA to be admitted. The day she arrived, the medical team told her, her kidneys were starting to fail. Her blood pressure was still high. With many tests she was diagnosed with scleroderma, an autoimmune disease that runs in our family. When she was at Pomona Valley Hospital, she was put on a steroid (prednisone) that triggered the scleroderma in her body to activate. The team had explained if her levels did not come down they were going to start dialysis. Her levels did decrease but instead became worse. If that was not enough, the day she was due for dialysis Shelley had a seizure.

My sisters poor body has gone through the ringer in such a short amount to time. The toll it has taken on her family is immeasurable. My brother in law has been doing everything possible to help my sister. Morning, noon and night he is there for my sister, and their 3 girls. He has been a great support system. The weight of these illnesses, watching your wife not Improve, is a heavy burden. They have sold their 2021 Tahoe due to the medical bills. I see the stress, I feel the stress, and now we are allowing people into the fold of what is going on. It can no longer be kept quiet. I brought this GoFundMe to both my sister and Scott and they reluctantly agreed, knowing what is coming down the line in the near future. Unfortunately, this is only the beginning for them.

Shelley is the first person to come to your need, she is the first person to bring you dinner, and she always does for others before thinkings of herself. You can always find Shelley at a PTA event, on a soccer field, a football snack bar, or a volleyball event. She is a super mom, wife, and person. To see my sister go from a, on the go powerhouse to being completely stopped in her tracks is hard to watch.

If you can help in anyway it will be greatly appreciated. Thank you so much in advance.