Support Emma's Fight Against Rare Blood Cancer

Here is Emma's story! Please consider helping her!

Hi guys! I’m 26 years old. I have been fighting illness since probably age 14. My labs always came up abnormal but nobody thought about it for 8+ years, then once they did they couldn’t pinpoint what it was from and so they diagnosed me with lupus. Still didn’t explain anything and no medications helped. Then finally after graduating nursing school post pre-med and psychology Bachelors degree, I was diagnosed a year later (May 2024) with MDS, Myelodysplastic Syndrome, which is essentially a rare blood cancer. Which explains why I was hospitalized so much since January 2024 (once it became aggressive) and continuing through now as I’m waiting for a transplant. I’ve received probably 35 transfusions in the past 7 months just to keep me alive and functioning. I go every week to my Cancer Dr. I live off blood transfusions and still work a full time job as a nurse. I also am usually an avid horse rider (have my own horse), hunter, fisher, country girl you name it. But since, get so weak, short of breath and my HR gets into the 120s-140s at rest, it’s hard to function. It’s hard to complete daily tasks, take care of myself, take care of my animals, and have enough energy for tasks. I’ve had excruciating bone pain that’s led me to the hospital accompanying this, pancreatitis, gastritis, and a sadly poor IVF attempt that failed :(. My fiancé owns the house we live in and is always willing to support but I am struggling right now. Between treatments, grad school tuition, paying back student loans, paying credit card debt and paying for my animals and vehicle I’m just struggling. I will be out 6-8 months post bone marrow transplant where I won’t be earning any income. I don’t qualify for disability did to using it for a severely broken hand last year and I’m too low on hours at my job as a nurse of 14 months to received any FMLA. I have been picking up as much work as I can but I have no immune system and have had pneumonia and other complications recently leading me into the hospital. I’ve already had to go from full time to part time and now I’m forced to per diem. Going to be fired soon if I even get sick again. Doctors notes aren’t even accepted unless you’re “actively in the hospital”. Please if you can I’m not one to ask for help but this is the lowest point of my life I’m struggling physically, mentally and emotionally as I’m still trying to push through everyday life until my transplant in 3-4 weeks. Please if you feel generous and kind to please help me. I promise when all of this is through I am going to run an organization to help young people with cancer! It’s a struggle to be so sick so tired endlessly everyday and work and try to preserve your fertility etc etc when you should just be loving and enjoying life. It really sucks. I can’t wait to get better hopefully 6 months after treatment I was told, after basically isolation for that time period which will be so hard. I can’t even begin to describe the pain and suffering I’ve felt these last 7 months but it really has challenged me because no matter how hard I try and pray things at least for now aren’t working. I know God has a plan but if any of you want to help my financial struggle that I am so overwhelmed about I will say an individual prayer to you. Even $1. I hate having to call of work because I’m sick and can’t fight it off and on the flip side I am trying to stay healthy for my transplant but just can’t fight anything off even wearing a mask at work . I just worry about my bills for the 6-8 months I’m out of work. Everything came on so suddenly and I wasn’t able to prepare properly even working overtime now. Thank you all in advance in the kindness of your heart. I’m used to always taking care of my patients it’s hard to ask for help for myself. God bless you all!