Edith Pacheco

Sometimes even the strongest among us need help. Edith is a warrior. A fearless fighter, a loyal friend, a trusted and hardworking coworker in an emergency room, and a dedicated defender of the people (and animals) among us who find themselves in need. Now it’s our turn to help her in her battle with Lupus.

So what is Lupus? Lupus is an autoimmune disease that can damage any part of the body. In Lupus something goes wrong with the immune system and the body creates autoantibodies that attack and destroy healthy tissue.

30 years ago, a Lupus diagnosis meant certain death and a life expectancy of 10 years from diagnosis. Treatment has improved, but Lupus is still fatal if, as with Edith, it causes system and organ failure.

After a 16 year long battle against Lupus, Edith almost lost her fight last year due to acute kidney injury and lupus nephritis. Thankfully, she has been approved for a stem cell transplant using her own stem cells. Stem cell transplants aren’t a silver bullet, but it’s the most effective known treatment for Lupus and it treats Lupus by wiping the immune system memory clean and saves the lives those suffering from Lupus by stopping or greatly decreasing the damage to their organs.

Family and friends of Edith Pacheco are raising money to pay for uninsured medical expenses associated with her stem cell transplant. This fundraising campaign is set up to help her cover the (very large) portion of the treatment not covered by her insurance, lodging for the many months she’ll be in Chicago undergoing treatment at Northwestern, travel expenses, insurance deductibles, and out of pocket co-payments.

Edith has chosen to fundraise with Help Hope Live in part because Help Hope Live assures fiscal accountability of funds raised and tax deductibility to the full extent allowed by law for donors. Donors can be sure that funds donated will be used only to pay or reimburse medically-related expenses. To make a donation to this fundraising campaign, click on the Donate Now button.

For more information, please contact Help Hope Live at 800.642.8399.

Thank you for your support!