Emergency Medical Support for Mother of 10

For those of you who aren't fortunate enough to know Alison, I'll ask you to trust me because I've known her since she started dating my older brother in high school, over thirty years ago. I've watched her show up for people — myself included — again and again, in ways big and small, for three decades. Descriptions like this can slide into hyperbole, especially among friends and family talking about someone they love. But it's simply the truth.

Some twenty years ago, when I was about to propose to my now-wife, Alison knew I was broke — so she gave me her own engagement diamond to use. People say they'd give you the shirt off their back. Alison will give you the diamond off her own hand.

In the decades since she and my brother married, they've built a family that now includes ten kids, ages five to late twenties. Their home has always been full of love, caring, and — let's be honest — quite a bit of noise. But that noise was love too, in its way. They've raised their kids the same way they live: to treat everyone with respect, to trust in God, and to always be ready to help someone else.

Alison had always been healthy, which is part of why this summer hit so hard. She spent weeks in and out of the intensive care unit at Duke while doctors chased down her symptoms. Not knowing what was causing a potentially life-threatening issue was frightening enough. But when the team at Duke described her condition as "one in a million," that was somehow worse. Multiple aneurysms in her spleen — a miracle they were even caught — have led to weeks of hospital stays, CT scans, MRIs, and surgery. And despite the doctors' best efforts to, there's still more ahead: more scans, and likely another surgery.

What these two, who have given so much of themselves to everyone around them, need now is help. Insurance being insurance, most of the life-saving procedures and intensive care costs have been denied, leaving them hundreds of thousands of dollars in debt. Some of these payments are due soon, and they're required for Alison's continued care. Every gift, of any size, goes straight toward keeping her treatment on track.

Alison would never ask for this herself. That's exactly why we're asking for her.

If you can give, at all, I will be eternally grateful.