Hey friends,
I’m reaching out with a heavy heart and a hopeful one. My best friend Paulie—who has been family to me for over 33 years—is facing one of the toughest battles of her life. Years ago, at the age of 29, Paulie beat breast cancer. She’s a fighter, no doubt, but the treatment that saved her life back then did lasting damage to her pancreas. Now, it’s failing, and without a complex surgery called a TPIAT, we could lose her.
This isn’t just one surgery—it’s a series of at least three, all requiring out-of-state travel, mostly to Seattle (about an hour drive from their home), and potentially to the East Coast or California. Her husband Jeff needs to be with her through every step, but they also have 2 young daughters, one of which, June, is medically fragile and on a feeding tube. She needs round-the-clock care while Paulie and Jeff are away. So we’re raising funds to cover child care and allow Jeff to travel with Paulie. That’s it. No luxuries—just basic help so they can focus on her survival.
Paulie has spent her life in service to others—volunteering in Nepal, advocating for LGBTQ+ rights, working with youth and families experiencing homelessness, and leading social justice programs in Washington state. She’s the kind of person who shows up. Now she needs us to show up for her. Neither she nor Jeff is working right now, and they’re still waiting on disability assistance. We can’t wait on a broken system—we need help now.
If you can donate, please do. If not, even sharing this means the world. I love this woman with everything I’ve got, and I just want her to have the chance to keep fighting, to watch her daughters grow up—and mine too.
Thank you for reading. Thank you for caring. Thank you for helping.
With love,
Sarah ❤️
(BFF since forever)