Vickie is such an important person to so many people. She is the loving mother of 3 adult children; her twin boys (Aaron and Dion) and her daughter (Stacey). She is the devoted grandmother ("Yaya") to 6 young grandchildren; Daveyon (7-year-old boy), Skylee (6-year-old girl), Kamari (4-year-old boy), Kalie (3-year-old girl), Ma'Kenna (18-month-old girl), and Zaiden (4-month-old boy). She is the supportive sister to 4 brothers; Smokey, Henry, Jimmy, and David. Vickie is also a collaborative colleague and a dear friend to many. Vickie works as a paraeducator in a special education classroom designed for kindergarten-age students with significant disabilities. She provides such special attention and respect to all the students she interacts with at school. Anyone who has the privilege of knowing Vickie, knows that she is a strong, independent woman. Despite whatever she has going on, she is the first to offer help to those in need. However, she is the last to ask others for help when she is in need. As her close friend, I am taking it upon myself to ask you all to support her during this difficult time. A few weeks ago (March 22) Vickie woke up with a very swollen face and bad tooth pain. Being the fighter that she is, she pushed through the pain as long as she could. But, unfortunately, her symptoms worsened quickly and she was advised to seek medical attention at the local ER the very next day. This visit to the ER revealed that Vickie had a severe tooth infection. Per usual in this situation, the hospital conducted bloodwork to dig deeper into what was going on. Within the next, Vickie received the results of her bloodwork and found out that her white blood cell count was alarmingly low. Based on these findings, it was recommended that seek more specialized care from a Hematologist. On April 11, she consulted with the specialist and after reviewing Vickie's medical history and lab results, the doctor informed Vickie that her condition had worsened significantly. On this day, Vickie was told she could not return to work until further notice and that she would need an emergency bone marrow biopsy the next day. While Vickie's procedure went well, she was not prepared for the results she received just 2 days later. On Friday, April 14, Vickie was diagnosed with Acute Myeloid Leukemia. Her condition is so severe that she is being admitted on Monday, April 17, in Georgetown to begin receiving treatment. As if receiving this information isn't traumatic enough, the fact that Vickie will now be confined to a hospital room alone, 2 hours away from her family and friends, is just devastating. This is all happening so fast and she has had very little time to process everything that she is experiencing. She is scared to be alone and of the unexpected. Vickie is the sole financial provider for her household which consists of her, her twin sons, and two of her grandchildren for whom she is the primary caregiver. At this time, Vickie has no more leave available at work. Also, her insurance is not covering some of the treatment she will be receiving. If you can donate to help support this amazing human, it would be greatly appreciated. Remember, any amount is helpful. Also, please share this with anyone you know to get the word out to as many people as possible. My goal is for Vickie and her family to be free of the financial burden that her battle with Leukemia is going to cause. Thank you for reading and for your generosity!