My name is Colleen Clark, and I’m writing this on behalf of my best friend, Danielle Moncelsi — someone I’ve loved and stood beside for 15 years.
Danielle is the kind of person whose heart you feel before she even says a word. She’s the friend who shows up for you on your darkest days, the one who makes you laugh until you cry, and the one who somehow always finds a way to give — even when she has nothing left for herself. She’s pure light in human form — fiercely loyal, endlessly generous, and so full of love it spills into every space she enters.
And now she’s in the fight of her life.
For over six months, Danielle has been in and out of emergency rooms, dismissed over and over again by doctors who couldn’t explain what was happening to her. She’s been living with constant, unrelenting pain and a growing list of terrifying symptoms: severe weight loss, bruising all over her body, drop foot, numbness and tingling, vision changes, intense nerve pain, hair falling out in handfuls, and changes to her bladder and bowel function. Some days, she can barely walk. Other days, the pain is so intense she can’t sleep. She was finally admitted to the neurology unit in late May — but even after days in the hospital, she was discharged with no answers. No diagnosis. Just more tests, more bills, and more questions.
As if that wasn’t enough, life delivered another blow.
Just days before her hospital stay, Danielle had left her job of over three years to start a new one — one that offered better pay, more stability, and health insurance. She was excited. Hopeful. Ready for a fresh start. But when her health spiraled and she had to miss work, she was fired within two weeks. She now has no insurance, no income, and no safety net. She’s behind on rent. Her car is at risk. And she’s drowning in medical bills — all while still trying to find out what’s wrong with her body.
She is trying so hard to stay afloat. She’s applying for jobs, showing up to appointments, fighting to stay positive — but the truth is, she can’t do this alone anymore. She shouldn’t have to.
Danielle needs urgent help to survive this season — to cover the basics: rent, groceries, gas to get to appointments, prescriptions, utilities — and most of all, medical care that might finally bring her answers and relief. We’ve set a starting goal of $7,500, and I know that sounds like a lot, but when you’re sick, uninsured, and alone in the system, every single thing costs more — and time is not on her side.
If you’ve ever been loved by Danielle, you know she’d never ask for this herself. She’s not one to complain. She’s not one to give up. But she is someone who deserves a break, and right now, she needs us — her friends, her community, even kind strangers — to stand in the gap and carry her through this.
Danielle has always been the person who reminds me how strong the human spirit can be. She’s been through so much in her life, and yet she still shows up with love, laughter, and light. Watching her go through this has been heartbreaking — not just because she’s in pain, but because I know how hard she’s worked to build something better for herself, only to have it all ripped away in an instant.
This isn’t just about bills or medical tests. This is about helping someone I love hold on — to her home, her health, and her hope. If you can give anything at all, please do. And if you can’t, sharing this means the world too.
Thank you for reading. Thank you for caring. And thank you for helping carry Danielle through this. She deserves that and so much more.
— Colleen Clark
