My Sister's Story

To All It May Concern, 

Ever since I knew Tiffanie, she wanted to be a writer and a poet.   She always had goals: to lose weight, to get a high paying job, to even have her own business providing women with beauty cosmetics.   Tiffanie has always been the life of the event!  She has a since of humor that everyone can enjoy; whenever she went out, whether to walk in the park (which she did frequently) or just to go out shopping, she’d always invite someone and everyone enjoyed her company.   Now those things that she loved and enjoyed, including her dreams, seem to be placed on a back-self.   My sister, a person of Juvenal diabetes since she was six, found herself having trouble walking at the age of 32.     She later found great pain in her legs and could only walk a few blocks.   Soon after she found it was just too difficult to walk and we took her in to the hospital to receive care. 

We then discovered she had wounds that were not going away and her nerves were no longer functioning for her in her legs.  The Doctor informed her about viruses that have been mortally attacking her body.  Tiffanie was very concerned for her life, but the family came together and we prayed; many people came to encourage my sister also during this time.  My sister resolved that she would fight.   The Doctor who informed us about her wound reluctantly mentioned that Tiffanie had two choices:  undergo surgery to have her two legs no more, or go through surgery to deal with the infection and have an artificial artery placed in her leg.  The latter surgery would be very complicated and she may lose her life, because Tiffanie was also experiencing anemia from lose of blood, heart failure due to fluid in her body and lungs, and very high blood sugar due to the virus attacking her body. 

Tiffanie found great courage and decided to go through with the bypass surgery and it was successful! 

Now for the past year my sister has not ridden a bike, visited the mall, dated a boyfriend, or seen a movie in a movie theater.  My sister has been in and out of hospitals for over a year now.  Whenever I see her she shows so much bravery; she is always smiling and joking in good spirit.  Just with this year my sister has been through so much: over eight surgeries -angioplasty, bypass, artificial artery, open heart surgery, wound surgeries fought off at least 5 viruses, and receiving life-blood donations for constant loss of blood and high blood condition. My sister is a fighter, but the bills from all the surgeries left my sister financial overwhelmed!  We observed the bills and found that what my sister owes is more than what she can afford.   We concluded that in order for my sister to comfortably fight for her life, we need to do what we can and lift off the financial burden from her.  Companies have dropped charges against her after unknowingly accusing her for insufficient funds. Now we want to send a notice for another charge…a charge concerning the debt of love and support for our beloved sister!    

Our family loves my sister; none of us have the immediate means to pay off all her hospital bills, but we are a praying people, a people of faith, and we believe that if we ask we shall receive.   We are asking for your support! 

My sister inspires so many of us.  Every October I think about my sister.  When I was little on Halloween, I was walking back home so excited to go home and have some of the candy I had gathered from the evening, but as I was approaching, a teenager jumped out of a car, literally snatching my bag from out my hands!  I crying at home empty handed when my sister, Tiffanie looked at me and without hesitation just gave me her bag full of candy.  I was very young, but I knew she didn’t have to do this at all; this was truly an act of love.   Now, it’s our turn to give back to my sister who always gave unconditionally.  It’s our turn to help lift this financial burden off of my sister!  She inspires my family in so many ways:  she encourages my sister and my mom to eat healthy; they already lost over 115 pounds together on weight watchers.   She helped and inspired me to run my first marathon in 2010 after realizing the privilege that so many of us have, the privilege to stand.  I could run in Detroit and then again in Seoul, Korea 2012.   

My sister still has dreams and many aspirations, poems and books inside of her.  I’m not asking that we give all of our time, all of our work, all of our resources, I’m only asking we give a little and the rest will go a long way to help give my sister  a chance to make these dreams possible in her life.   Our goal is to raise 100,000 dollars and together I know this is possible!  Our hope is so that my sister will not have to pay another bill for a long time in her life.   She can also get the physical theory needed to gain feeling back to her legs, get released from the advanced hospital and live comfortably in her own apartment.   My sister is one of the hardest working people I know; now it’s our turn. We will work hard with love for her!  Please join me in fundraising for her.     

We humbly ask for you support. 

http://www.iampoettree.com/#!/2012/07/bragging-on-my-sister-tiffanie-wachira.html  sent July 26^th, later we found she was no longer eligible because of a surgery that later came out successful.  Keep fighting sis!  We’re fighting with you!