I'm not going to lie, July was rough for me. The weather was actually better- steady at least, not as rainy, not as dramatic as June's nonsense.
But for some reason, July just deflated me. I'm so tired, and feeling frustrated and while I know these moments will pass (they always do eventually), I think it's important that, as chronically ill folks, as disabled folks, as pained folks- we reserve the right to say, "this sucks."
So, July sucked. It had it's good moments: a big bill got paid for me, we were able to order a sturdy vinyl banner for a health expo we'll be tabling at in September, a patron of PSS paid for us to do an order of 500 rack cards (woot woot), for the same event, and we've had 2 different folks who work in psych offices request a batch to put out in their lobbies (full disclosure, one of them is my sister, but still!)
But the truth is, overall, my day to day has been a struggle. I'm managing- feeding the animals, scooping litter boxes, bare minimum cleaning to keep the house up. But I had plans for July too. I wanted to do a lot of deeper cleaning. I wanted to scrub my stovetop, and vacuum. I wanted to cook more, maybe bake something. Instead, there was a lot of ramen and mac n cheese.
Sometimes though, the only thing you can do is accept that you can't do everything- or even most of the things- that you want or plan to do. So, July was a bit of a write off for me. So far this month though, I've updated this page, added 3 new shops, made a list of new things to search, removed a dead link, celebrated my birthday with 2 different sets of folks, and even baked myself some cookies. I'm going to pay for all of that tomorrow, but for today- I'm feeding off of a short spree of energy and accomplishing as much as I can.
And, as summer begins to close, we here at PSS wish all of our student spoonies the best of luck, and all the spoons you need as you head back to classes. Remember to take things one class at a time and that it's ok- if all you could do for the day- is exist. Sometimes, existing is the hardest thing of all.
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AUGUST'S FEATURED SHOPS
Customisable dolls and accessories, including dolls with medical devices | Ships Worldwide from US | $15+
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CAMPAIGN(S) OF THE MONTH:
Normally, each month, we feature 1-3 fundraising campaigns. 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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Service Dog for Jayden
Jayden is a 10 year old boy in Catawba County, NC who has severe, nonverbal autism and intractable epilepsy.
Jayden began having grand mal/tonic clonic seizures in February of 2018. We are working with Highland Canine out of Harmony, NC to train a service dog for Jayden. The service dog would be trained to assist Jayden during autism related meltdowns, to assist in tracking Jayden if he were to ever elope, and will also be trained as a seizure alert dog. Many of Jayden’s seizures occur during the night time and it is vital that we are alerted to the seizure in order to give any necessary rescue medications.
This process requires a $2500 deposit before they even begin looking for a dog. To train a dog to assist people with autism, the fee is nearly $16,000. The additional seizure alert training would bring us to nearly $18000 (not including the initial deposit).
If you are able, we would greatly appreciate a donation. We would also be so appreciative if everyone shares this. If you have any other suggestions for fundraising this cause, we are willing to do whatever it takes to raise this money for our boy!
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Operation Honey Fund
My name is Audrey, affectionately known as Honey , and I have Breast Cancer.
On July 3rd 2019 I was diagnosed with Stage 1 Invasive Ductal Carcinoma. Of course it was hard news to process, as a woman it's the last thing you want to hear - and as a dancer and model, it's absolutely terrifying. I support myself 100%, so the reality of losing income and freedom of movement, even for a short while is not just financially crippling, but emotionally devastating.
It's been a very challenging diagnosis to accept and navigate, a lot of decisions had to be made very quickly, but thankfully I caught it very early and I have a very good prognosis.
So what's the plan?
- A final MRI is scheduled on July 24th to make sure there aren't any more tumors hiding around.
- Then I am scheduled to have a Lumpectomy on August 13th at Parkland Hospital - for which I need a $4,000 down payment to go toward my surgery which is estimated at about $74,000
- After recovering from surgery, I'll need 4 weeks of radiation, 5 days a week - which has still not been priced, due to the fact that Parkland Hospital does not have a Radiation department (I'll post updates on that as they come in )
Unfortunately, it's all very expensive to treat, and thanks to the comedy of errors that is my life, I'm uninsured.
That's where you come in with Operation Honey Fund!
I have some financial assistance through Parkland Hospital, but not all services can be covered, so I'll need help covering the cost of surgery, radiation treatments, medication, follow up appointments, lost income, etc.
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K'Xyas Medical Needs
K'Xyas is a 2 year old medically complex child. He is a former 33 weeker who battles with gastroparesis, Chronic lung disease, FPIES, dysphagia and both central and obstructive sleep apnea. K'Xyas takes 13 different medicines 3 times a day to maintain a normal life. K'Xyas is also CPAP dependent.
K'Xyas' CPAP keeps growing mold despite multiple cleanings a day and having my apartment checked for mold. The CPAP has been replaced twice and now Medicaid is giving us a hard time about replacing it saying that they cannot replace it anymore. I am trying to raise money to replace it because without it he has issues keep his stats up and gasping for air in his sleep. Your contribution is greatly appreciated.
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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!