My name is Melody McKinley and I was recently reunited with my very good friend Shellie Conrow who is a Chantilly HS Alumni from 1988. Shellie is the nicest person you could ever meet, and after reconnecting with her I found that she had been going through hell and high water and needed help. I am asking you as human being to read her story and to please help me help Shellie. I am trying to raise money and I am asking you to give even though times are tight for everyone there is always someone doing worse, here is her story.

I am 40 years old non smoker/drinker with 3 kids, I was born with only one Kidney and about 8 years ago I was told I had Kidney disease and the only way to treat it is with a transplant or dialysis. I had been fighting this disease with sheer determination and my Doctor was even surprised that I have not been put on dialysis yet. But about 2 years ago my husband left me and my 3 kids, I didn’t have a job and had no money to take care of things. I have always been a stay at home mom but I now had to find a job and take care of the house and the kids alone.

I lost my house to foreclosure back in June 2009 and I had to tell my oldest son that is 18 that he had try and make it on his own, my other two children and I moved in with a friend and we all share one room with our 3 dogs. I thought I was only going to stay there for a few months and then get our own place but I got sick and had to cut my hours at work and to make things worse my husband stopped paying child support.

I live in Front Royal and the rest of my family is all about an hour away so it’s hard for them to help me because everyone has their own families to take care of but they do their best. I found a job working the 3rd shift at 7-11 that way I could still be at home with my kids during the day to get them off to school, dinner cooked and homework checked. After doing that for a year it has taken a huge toll on my health, my kidney function got a lot worse.

When I started to work Medicaid told me I made to much money so the state wouldn’t help me with any health insurance and my job didn’t offer any,

so for that year I decided to work and not worry so much about my health. My doctor has prescribed 12 separate medications that I am supposed to take daily. I can’t afford all of them so I buy only the two that I know I can’t live without. Because of that I got extremely sick and had to go to the hospital for emergency medical treatment several times.

My medical bills are piling up by the thousands I am now being sued and I don’t know what I am going to do. In order for the state to help me I can only make around 350.00 a month, so my job at 7/11 changed my schedule to about 10 hrs a week. As of right now I have no medical insurance and I really can’t work. I was approved to be on the Transplant list at University of VA but I have no way to pay for it and the cost is about $90,000.

I am fighter, I always have been but I hit rock bottom last month when I had to ask my brother to take in my son because I could no longer raise him. He is a senior in high school and moving him in his last year really hurt me.  My 11 year daughter helps to take care of me from day to day she has missed out on so much because of my illness.

I don’t like asking for help but I just can’t do it anymore by myself, I am lost, my spirit has been broken and I don’t know how to fix it anymore. My kids and I have lost everything and now we have lost each other, I would give anything to have my family back together but honestly I am too sick to do it alone. I really just need to make things right for my children. I need my transplant so I can live again and be there for my kids, because they are my whole world any donations made would be greatly appreciated.

Sincerely

Shellie Conrow

Chantilly H.S. Class of 88’