Darcy Needs Help Paying for her Medical Expenses

For: Darcy

From: Kathy, Ashley, Jessica, Kristi. & Melissa

This is our beautiful friend Darcy. We all met Darcy a little over a year ago when she took a chance and created the Kaulia Book Club. From the first book club meeting we all noticed that Darcy did not eat much of anything, but she made some of the best food to share. We drank, we ate, we shared our thoughts about the books we read and just enjoyed our time together.

Then slowly over time, a core group of about 6 women began to form deeper friendships. We were the ones that came every month, the faithful. and with that friendship, we began to ask questions and Darcy began to open up. It was easy to see that Darcy was not okay.

You see Darcy, the one that is responsible for all of us becoming friends, the roots of our friend tree, is very ill and she requires urgent help.

So here we are, reaching out and asking people to PLEASE help our friend.

Darcy suffers from GASTROPARESIS. Gastroparesis is a condition that affects the normal spontaneous movement of the muscles (motility) in your stomach. (See below for more details about this isolating and debilitating disease.)*

Darcy has to have her food administered through an IV bag to a port in her chest (TPN).

Darcy has also had to battle sepsis, a life-threatening blood infection 3 times since having been on the TPN, Total Parenteral Nutrition. Her potassium is so low that her doctors warn that she could have a heart attack or her heart could simply stop altogether because she can not get enough minerals and vitamins into her system. She is quite literally shrinking in front of us.

As a result of GASTROPARESIS, Darcy is no longer able to work as a pediatric nurse. Darcy spends her time when she is feeling well enough reading, as that is about all she has the energy to do, even on her good days. Darcy finds joy in the simple pleasures of living in Hawaii, her cats, the beach, reading, cooking for others, and spending time with her friends. She's a lover of the Beatles, rock and roll, and her family.

This is Darcy's rock-solid husband Ed (aren't they cute together). Ed and Darcy are a wonderful couple, but Ed is in a constant state of worry about his wife as any good husband would be. They just want to enjoy life together and not have this constant worry hanging over their marriage.

While there is NO cure, Darcy is hopeful that she can find some relief after having the pyloroplasty (which was supposed to be done in September of 2022 and was denied by insurance). She has a team of amazing doctors just waiting for the OKAY from her insurance company or Darcy and Ed saying that they have the money themselves to pay for the surgery.

Mahalo nui & Aloha,

Kathy, Ashley, Jessica, Kristi. & Melissa

*Gastroparesis is a condition that affects the normal spontaneous movement of the muscles (motility) in your stomach. Ordinarily, strong muscular contractions propel food through your digestive tract. But if you have gastroparesis, your stomach's motility is slowed down or doesn't work at all, preventing your stomach from emptying properly. Gastroparesis can interfere with normal digestion, and cause nausea, vomiting, and abdominal pain. It can also cause problems with blood sugar levels and nutrition. Although there's no cure for gastroparesis, changes to your diet, along with medication, can offer some relief.

Symptoms include: