Help for the Schlaack Family

If you know my sister, Holly, you know how big-hearted, generous, and kind she is. She’s the first to step up to help someone, and the last one to ask for it. So, I’m asking for your help instead.

My name is Barb Rengering, and it took a lot of insisting and outright big-sister bossiness to get Holly to agree to this GoFundMe to help with staggering medical bills and related out-of-pocket expenses.

Holly is the picture of health, and you’d never know (and she’d never tell you) she’s been dealing with complicated health problems for the past several years. She and her husband, Ed, have traveled multiple times to Cleveland Clinic in pursuit of answers. There have been many doctor appointments, evaluations, and countless tests, one costing over $4000 out-of-pocket. Finally, they have answers that came in the form of a double whammy.

Holly was diagnosed with not one, but two rare conditions: Sarcoidosis, an autoimmune disease, and Preload Insufficiency, a condition so rare many doctors have never heard of it. Both cause relentless fatigue, progressive muscle weakness, and cardiovascular and pulmonary issues. There is no way to know how bad it will get or how long it will last. Immunoglobulin (IVIG) infusions are her best and last shot at relieving her symptoms. Insurance has denied coverage many times because it’s considered experimental for Preload Insufficiency. Finally, thanks to the persistence and tenacity of her medical team and their advocacy, she was recently approved to start the infusions. However, they are only partially covered, and the patient portion is significant.

Her symptoms range from moderate to severe on any given day which make the activities of daily living, taking care of her family, maintaining a home, and working 20 hours per week at the job she loves extremely difficult. Furthermore, she has exhausted her paid time off, leaving a gap in the family budget during a time of a rapidly growing pile of medical bills.

Thankfully, her son, Ben, age 21, lives at home while attending the University of Cincinnati. While Holly’s health has been declining, Ben has been helping Ed by taking over tasks such as grocery shopping, making dinner, and driving his little sister to and from sports and other activities.

Despite these challenges, Holly’s family has been managing. However, a third and (hopefully final) whammy came out of nowhere.

On August 29, 2023, Ben was diagnosed with testicular cancer, and had surgery on September 5 to remove the tumor. The pathology report that followed was not what we had hoped. While testicular cancer is very treatable, Ben’s is particularly aggressive, and has spread to his lymph nodes. He started an aggressive regimen of chemotherapy on October 9. Coincidentally, Holly had her first IVIG infusion on October 10. They are the first mother-son duo to receive treatments at the same time.

If you know Ben, you know he is a gentle giant—quiet, kind, solid, and steady. Helping others is built into his DNA, and when he sees a need, he responds without hesitation. He’s a good brother, a good friend, and has a great sense of humor. He’s been a trooper since this whole thing started and has kept a positive attitude. Despite it all, he has never complained once or asked, ‘why me?’

“When can I go back to work?” is the only question he keeps asking. He’s always been a hard worker, and just started his third year of school co-oping at an engineering firm. He’s majoring in Mechanical Engineering, and his semesters alternate between a co-op and classes. He planned to use the income he received from his current co-op to pay for classes next semester. The lost income has been just one more blow to his college plans.

All these challenges have left Ed with a heavy load to carry. He’s taking care of both Holly and Ben while doing pretty much everything else related to managing a household, keeping the family financially afloat, and juggling the needs of their youngest daughter, fourteen-year-old Paige, who joined their family two years ago.

Many people have been asking how they can help. The best and most direct way you can help them is by chipping away at their medical bills and uncovered health care expenses.

We are all so blessed to know this family and to witness the grace and faith that sustains them, and we’re so lucky to have the chance to give back to them all they have done for us and others over the years.

Please share this GoFundMe, and let’s help lighten the load Holly and her family are carrying right now. And, finally, please keep the prayers coming! Holly knows your prayers are sustaining them all and enabling them to take one day at a time, trusting that God is present and giving them what they need to emerge stronger and better than ever.