Stephanie finally gets her kidney!

Hi there!

For those of you that don’t know me, I’m Ali. I have been friends with Stephanie since I was 10 years old. Stephanie was diagnosed with Lupus when she was 16. Her journey with Lupus has not been an easy one. Some of you know her story, but for those of you who don’t, let me give you the very brief version.

At 16, Stephanie was diagnosed with Lupus. It started with migraines and fatigue, and then led to infections, the Lupus “butterfly rash”, and for a brief time put her in a wheelchair as she had no muscular strength to even walk. She went into remission for about 10 years, but Lupus reared it’s ugly head once again in 2017.

Stephanie and I were working together at Lake Michigan Insurance when this flare hit. It became so bad that she could no longer work. She was in and out of the hospital on a weekly basis. By 2018, the Lupus had begun attacking her Kidneys. They were quickly failing. By 2021, her kidneys had failed and she was placed on dialysis.

After many emotional months, lots of hospital stays, and battles with insurance and doctors, Stephanie was finally placed on the donor list to receive a new kidney.

While it is amazing to say that Stephanie has finally locked in a date to receive a new kidney, the funds to receive the kidney will not be small.

On June 17 Stephanie will head to Mayo Clinic in Rochester Minnesota to be part of a miraculous 5 chain kidney transfer! Part of this amazing miracle is her mom, Nancy. Nancy will be trading her left kidney in exchange for an anonymous kidney for Stephanie. This is called the “Paired Exchange Program.” Without Nancys donation, this 5 chain exchange couldn’t have happened, and Stephanie wouldn’t be getting her miracle.

They will need to stay in an Airbnb near the Mayo Clinic for 3 weeks for routine monitoring. Their husbands, Johnny and Bart, will be with them.

While Nancy and Stephanie do have health insurance, they will NOT be covering any of the travel and living expenses associated with the kidney transplant.

this GoFundMe is to help cover the cost of the Airbnb, travel expenses to and from MN, as well as assisting in their monthly bills as they will be unable to work for a month.

Stephanie has never complained, and rarely asks for help. So I am here to ask for the help for her and her family.

If you’re interested in learning about Stephanie’s journey, you can follow her instagram @spoonie_stephh for more information.

Your generosity is beyond appreciated.