Happy Birthday To Us!
Updated: Jul 2, 2018
It’s official- PrettySickSupply.com is ONE YEAR OLD!
One year ago today we took a deep breath and launched a very rough website onto the world. 2 months of planning and building and searching brought us to our launch date and instead of waiting till everything was picture perfect- we went for it as is. And it was… rough. So rough we didn’t even have shop photos to go with the few listings we’d found. But we decided the resource was needed, the groundwork was laid so it was better rough than delayed.
We started off with something like 8 categories of shops, and probably fewer than 50 listings. In the first week, we were so excited to log almost 750 page views between the US and Canada. Feedback was immediate, and positive and it pushed us to keep working. Fast forward a year, and now we have 21 categories to shop in, and more than 350 shop listings! As of this morning- we’ve been seen by people in 81 countries (that’s 32% of the world) and we’ve had over 35,500 page hits. More than 10,000 different people have visited PrettySickSupply.com We’ve spent the last year listening and observing our communities, fielding requests and queries, and cherishing every compliment.
In the last few posts, we’ve already talked about some of our future plans for the site, so today- well, this is just about celebrating. We’ve heard from so many of you, through social media (we’re up to 1499 likes on facebook!), through email, through messages- and we have to say every single message is such a boost for us. Kristie and I do this site together, and between her job and both of our pain and chronic conditions- it can be a challenge keeping up with things. Regular visitors know, updates don’t happen as often as any of us would really like, and sometimes features get sprung before they’re… 100% refined. But it’s so important to us, keeping this running, so that as we push through pain flares and busy times we do our best to seek out and share the best resources we can.
And it seems like every time one of us starts to feel burnt out, we run across another example of why PrettySick Supply is SO needed. From creators using their shops to fundraise for their own medical treatments, to Pretties in the world reporting about ableism as they try to just… exist with their necessary equipment, to our own experiences trying to find something, ANYTHING stylish and useful for our own medical needs. We’re constantly being reminded that this site is desperately needed by our community and it spurs us on to keep working, keep searching, keep helping.
So that’s what we’ll do. In these terrifying times, as the world around us, and in particular the United States, seems determined to return to a time of fascism and nazism and exclusion- we’re going to continue our mission of building and maintaining a resource for ALL of us with chronic conditions and disabilities.
Mostly though, we just wanted to take this space to say, THANK YOU. Thank you for being here: for sharing and responding and supporting us as we do this. Thank You.
Happy Birthday PrettySickSupply.com
And Many More!
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JUNE'S FEATURED SHOPS
NERDY KEPPIE
DESIGNS BY DISCO DIVA
Bedazzled Pill Organizers | Ships Within US only | $15+
Functional pin badges that make the invisible visible | Ships Worldwide from UK | $4+
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CAMPAIGN(S) OF THE MONTH:
Normally, each month, we feature a single fundraising campaign. We like to share these links so that visitors who have the means know where need may be and can help folks in our community who are trying to get access to care or equipment they otherwise can't afford. Because there are so many folks needing help right now, we're going to start sharing a few campaigns a month- in hopes that we can help spread the love as widely as possible. If you are able, please consider donating to one of these fundraising campaign to help those who need it.
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Unexpected medical issues are something we all understand. Help Patrick get access to tests and treatments by contributing to his fundraiser, organized by relatives.
CLICK TO OPEN THIS FUNDRAISER IN A NEW PAGE
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Save Cey's Independence
Hi, my name is Cey; I'm a nineteen-year-old, white-passing Australian Aboriginal. I'm Queer, and a Deafblind Auslan user, although I grew up oral. I'm also disabled, and so I've spent most of my life living in pain, with very little support—it's been tough, but I've made it this far. I'm proud of that, but I also know when I need to start accepting help.
Winter is dangerous for me, and having a particularly bad wheelchair mixed with my immune system, bad lungs, and joint instability, it's not going well. I wanted to focus on getting braces for my joints and an air filter mask, particularly since winter makes my pain and breathing issues flare up something awful. I don't think this is going to work anymore, because there's no way my body can hold up if I'm barely surviving Autumn. The NDIS is going to take too long to wait for, so I need help now before I end up permanently injured from using a chair designed for someone with a carer with no braces.
The main things I want is a wheelchair that suits my needs, braces for my joints, and an air filter mask. In total, this is going to be around $10,000 and neither insurance nor Medicare will pay for it.
CLICK TO OPEN THIS FUNDRAISER IN A NEW PAGE
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The Vina Fund
My mum is Alvina, but everyone calls her Vina, she is 58 years old, and is the kindest person you could ever meet. My Mum is VERY SICK, she has a rare aggressive cancer, Salivary duct carcinoma which has spread to her lungs, and without help she will die, very soon.
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Help Taplan Get Her Service Dog
My name is Taplan and I'm a 25 year old living in the sunny State of Florida. In September of 2008, I was diagnosed with Ehlers Danlos Syndrom Hypermobile Type at Johns Hopkins Medicine by geneticist Dr. Howard P Levy. EDS is a connective tissue disorder that effects every part of my body. Connective tissue acts as the netting that holds the body together, the average person’s connective tissue is woven tightly, however, people with Ehlers Danlos have loosely woven connective tissue. While there are six different types of EDS, my type effects every aspect of my body but mostly my joints. I experience frequent instability even when walking. I’m prone to injuries such as dislocated joints and torn tendons and ligaments. I also experience vascular abnormalities such as extremely low blood pressure and occasional fainting.
Luckily, after my diagnosis, I’ve been careful with my activities to avoid injury and I was 100% pain free. Unfortunately, in 2015, I was involved in an accident that dislocated my hip and severely injured my back. Because of EDS I haven’t been able to follow the standard course treatment that the average person can and I’ve suffered with chronic pain and mobility issues since. My chronic pain has affected my mental health and intensified problems with anxiety and PTSD in the last couple of years.
Both my doctors treating my Ehlers Danlos Syndrome and my therapist have recommended getting a service dog, and I have finally been given the opportunity to do so.
CLICK TO OPEN THIS FUNDRAISER IN A NEW PAGE
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If you can't contribute, please consider sharing any of our featured campaigns on your social media! Someone you know may be looking for a way to give back and could make a huge difference in someone's life! You can also look at previous blog entries to see if other featured campaigns are still in need of help!