Have You Met My Friend, Mindy?

Well, if you haven't, you should. Mindy is fun, and fun is good.

She is also awesome, and one of my best friends. The only problem with Mindy? She is always sick :( No fun (actually, she is still fun, but her long list of health problems suck). She's been through more things physically than anyone I know. And she's not done. Not even close. Why be friends with a person who's sick all the time? Well, honestly, unless you're pretty much her BFF, you would never even guess that she is sick (unless you've been fortunate to witness her pass out or have a seizure). She pretty much never complains about her health. Ever. She will hardly admit that she is sick. AND she takes care of her 4 year old, Ella, pretty much all the time without help. AND she still cleans her house. 

Don't believe me when I say her health sucks? Here's a list. A few weeks ago she would have killed me had I posted this, but she's finally starting to accept that she could use some help.

• Type 1 diabetes at age 3
• Kidney failure since 2008
• Diagnosed with Gastroparesis in 2004, she's been told she will need a feeding tube in the near future
• Early stage bladder cancer in 2011, underwent several rounds of chemotherapy
• Frontal lobe epilepsy diagnosis in 2012

She can't drive. She can't eat solid foods. She can't have more children. She's happy. She loves the time she has to spend with her family. She is super generous, thoughtful and loving. Through everything she just keeps moving.

Why this post now? Because she's finally decided she's ready to share her struggle and accept some help. The cost of all this treatment has really begun to pile up and she's asking for help. So I'm asking for help for her, because she's my friend.

If you can, please consider helping her.

Here's how:

1. Go to http://go.oolagives.com/ and buy a voucher for a massage. Theses are good at a variety of places across the nation. Here's where you can search for a provider in your area. It's $35 for a one hour massage, and $10 of that is donated to Mindy's medical fund. 

or 

2. You can contribute to the donation account set up at Mountain America Credit Union "The Mindy Hodges Family Medical Fund." If you are in Utah, Idaho, Nevada, Arizona or New Mexico, you may have a branch near you to drop off your donation. Or I can get it there for you. 

So, seriously, go get yourself a massage. And THANK YOU! from me. And Mindy, even though she has no idea I have a blog.