A young Navy couple who called Bremerton home for more than four years is now grappling with a serious disease and the high cost of medical care.

Gloria Andrews was diagnosed with lupus – a disease in which the immune system attacks healthy cells and tissues – in 2006.

She and her husband, Cody, both 28, lived in Bremerton from 2007-2012 when Cody served as an aviation ordnanceman aboard the USS John C. Stennis. They now live in Tuscon, Arizona.

Lupus damaged Andrews’ kidneys, but she managed the problem pretty well up until last year, when her kidney function dropped to a low of 8 percent and she wound up being hospitalized for a week.

“After that happened my doctors were like, ‘Well, the only thing we can do now is transplant,’” Gloria Andrews said.

A deceased or living donor could provide a kidney for Andrews, but the prognosis is better with a living donor. Humans have two kidneys but only need one to survive.

Several of her friends and family members offered a kidney, but “It turned out my potential best option was none other than my husband.”

The odds of her husband just happening to be a good match were low, she said, but fortunately he had O-positive blood: a universal donor. Additional evaluation of her husband’s kidney compatibility was also made to ensure it would be a good match.

“He just happens to also be extremely healthy and has always taken really good care of himself,” Andrews said.

“Everybody’s always so surprised and happy for us because it sounds so rare. It’s been very humbling and nice to have that be a possibility for us.”

When final approval is given, surgery could take place mid-July.

“It’s been a long process,” Andrews said. She could have had the surgery over and done with earlier this year in January, but her employer had been switching insurance companies at the time, and they had to start much of the process over.

“It’s just been a long process and we’re edging toward the end now.”

Both the Andrews were raised in Tucson and had been friends a long time before getting married, she said.

While in Bremerton, Andrews said she worked at Wells Fargo at the Poulsbo and Bainbridge Island offices.

“We loved it up there. We used to talk about moving back up to the Seattle area. We kind of miss it.”

Cody was honorably discharged in 2012 and he is currently making use of the GI bill to study finance and marketing in Tucson.

When the couple lived in Bremerton, Andrews said she enjoyed taking the ferry to Seattle, and got to watch whales in the San Juans.

“We loved living in a little town that was so close to a major city like Seattle. There wasn’t a lot to do in Bremerton but we found a cozy little home where we enjoyed the rain. I miss the rain. It’s a little bit too dry out here,” she joked of Tucson.

Her kidney function has since improved to 11 percent. Until recently she had been working full-time but her doctors recently prohibited her from working so she could be strong for her surgery and not be stressed-out.

Andrews’ sister-in-law, Nichole Schaper, came up with the GoFundMe account to help pay bills.

“It is definitely a huge financial burden,” Andrews said of her medical woes. “We’re on a tight budget to say the least.”

Insurance covers much of the costs, but not everything.

“Just one of the medications I have to be on (which helps with a suppressed immune system) costs about $770 a month,” she said.

The GoFundMe account has raised more than $5,000 so far. Some of the money came from friends or family and some of it was anonymous. Andrews said the generous donations have been “humbling.”

Learn more about the Andrews at http://www.gofundme.com/gloria_cody.