My Sister Katherine

Hi, my name is Laura and I'm doing this for my sister Katherine.
 
  Katherine has had health issues for many years, but was constantly misdiagnosed with GI issues, which made it worse over time with severe physical pain, long periods of not eating and migraines. She recently got very sick, was losing a lot of weight, couldn’t function normally, was in such terrible pain and her skin was turning yellow, that she went to the ER. She was admitted with liver failure. We were all terrified and had no idea what was happening with her. But after almost 2 weeks in the hospital, with many tests and surgeries, a biopsy of the liver gave us answers. She was diagnosed with Autoimmune Hepatitis-a rare hereditary disease that is incurable. She was told that she was likely born with it and it’s finally caught up to her. She is only 32 years old. This disease attacks the organs, especially the liver. The surgeons found that her liver had already begun to scar, a stage called cirrhosis in which cancer develops. She is at very high risk for liver cancer right now, as well as melanoma and lymphoma. But the doctors believe that it might be early enough, that the liver state could possibly be reversed for now, with the right care. This disease is going to be a lifelong ordeal, but can be managed with nutrition, medicine, regular testing, and a possible liver transplant, hopefully later than sooner. It is nice to finally have answers what has been affecting her all these years, but it is also scary how serious this is. We all are so happy she has a chance to get better with treatment and she is also staying very positive.

But with everything that has happened it is really hard on her right now financially. She was working 2 jobs, that involved a lot of physical labor, and so she had to quit because of the health risks involved. She was also going to school to get a degree, but has dropped out in order to find full time work. She is now physically limited what she can do, and she doesn’t have health insurance or savings. Bills are piling up from missing work for when she was hospitalized, along with the medical bills. She is afraid for her living situation, keeping her car, finding work, healthcare and what she is going to do about affording treatment so that she can get better. I can't imagine how hard this must be for her. No one was planning on this happening. She needs help. So I'm starting this Go Fund Me for her. I'm hoping it can help with her medical bills and other finances that have set her back. My sister has always been such a caring person, who always gives more than what she has, has helped so many others, is very kind and loved by many. She just needs some help so she can get back on her feet, get healthier and start living again. I love her and pray this helps if even just a little, that it will make a world of difference for her and she can get the treatment she needs to live.

Thanks for reading!

Katherine's sister,
Laura