Marcell Ellis

Family and friends of Marcell Ellis are raising money for the nonprofit Help Hope Live to fund uninsured.

If you’ve ever met Marcell Ellis, you already know, she is everything good in a person. The kind of person who walks into a room and instantly makes it warmer (even though she’s always cold), louder (in the best way), and full of laughter (even on her hard days). The kind of laugh that makes your stomach hurt and your eyes water. The kind of person who shows up for everyone, no matter what she’s going through herself. And right now, she’s going through a lot.

Marcell has been battling FSGS (focal segmental glomerulosclerosis) since she was just 16 years old. FSGS is a devastating and progressive kidney disease where scarring slowly destroys the kidneys’ ability to filter the blood, which ultimately leads to kidney failure. For years, she’s fought quietly with strength most of us can’t even imagine, refusing to let her diagnosis define her. But recently, her journey has become difficult to manage. She is now on dialysis and in need of a kidney transplant. Despite everything, she’s still Marcell.

Still showing up in good spirits.

Still helping support her family.

Still being a wife, a mom, a grandma, a friend, and a coworker.

Still working full-time as a medical assistant when she can.

Still caring for her patients when she is also a patient herself.

She is the heart of so many people’s lives. But the reality is, this fight is heavy. Dialysis, medications, missed work due to her appointments and spitalizations, and overwhelming medical bills is more than anyone can and should have to carry alone. Marcell is the kind of person who will quietly carry her own burdens if it means someone else doesn’t have to feel theirs. She’s always been the one to put herself on the back burner to make sure that everyone else is taken care of first. And if there’s one thing about Marcell, it’s that she would never ask for help. So we’re asking for her. We’re asking you, whether you know her personally or not, to help ease even a small part of this burden so she can focus on what truly matters: healing, fighting, and continuing to live the life she deserves. Because Marcell is so much more than a diagnosis. She is joy.

She is resilience.

She is love in human form.

If you can donate, share, or even just take a moment to send love her way, it all matters more than you know. Let’s show up for her the way she’s always shown up for everyone else.