And just like that, summer comes to a close. We certainly hope your summers were less stressful and flare-filled than ours, but we're realists so- CONGRATS for surviving! We know summer is especially difficult for our POTS and Dysautonomia folks and I know like us, you'll be glad for the coming of cooler temperatures.
In our world, SarahCate has battled some serious stress on the social security front- after thinking her appeal was up and running, she discovered the person she spoke to on-site lied and misled her about how to begin the process. As of just this week- that's now fixed and her appeal is officially logged, with a note to keep benefits coming during the process. We know a lot of you have to deal with this process, whether the struggle to get approved in the first place, or dealing with reviews and denials down the road- so we want to share the number one tip SarahCate learned this week: if you find your disability decision being reviewed (after having been on ssi for a while), always ask FIRST- what office your review was initiated by. Turns out part of the problem, the FIRST BIG problem was that when she went to try and begin the appeal, she was at the wrong location. Unfortunately- she wasn't told that, and it almost cost her everything.
Changing gears, we've added quite a few new shops this month, 4 or 5 yesterday alone! There's lots of new relatable gear to peruse, as well as new stuff in jewelry too! 3 of the new shops are featured for September so check that out below.
A lot of our new content plans got put on hold because of SarahCate's disability issues and massive pain/sensitivity flares. New things are still in the works- they've just been stalled. To that end, as always- we love your suggestions and recommendations so we've got 2 content calls for you:
1. Disabled/chronically ill makeup youtubers: Especially if their tips are geared towards others with chronic issues/disabilities. We WILL be doing a bath and beauty section at some point- so let us know who we should be featuring when we do!
2. Shops with good cannabis products: We want to add a cannabis section to the shops. That means places selling cbd edibles, oils, salves, lotions, soaps etc. Online sellers, as with the rest of our shops, and at least for now: ONLY CBD based products. We're not medical professionals, obviously, so we can't recommend products with THC for legality issues. But we know there are lots of places now online that sell and ship cbd-based products that folks in our community have found helpful.
For now, that's about all the news from us. As always- we're so grateful for your patience with us, and we hope those of you headed back to school have your accommodations met easily and without issue!
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AUGUST'S FEATURED SHOPS
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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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TATIANA'S TATAS
Tatiana is a chronic illness warrior currently battling breast cancer! All funds raised will go towards medicine, medical bills and normal things that anyone would need on a daily basis. The goal is to lessen Tatiana's stress while she cares for her tatas.
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Kale is disabled, & their mobility has been in decline for a while now. They are mostly housebound, if not bedbound, due to the severe amount of pain they are in & fatigue caused. On the rare ‘good’ days they have and manage to do things, or force themselves to attend medical appointments, it takes them days, if not an entire week to recover. Meaning they end up missing out on any other events, seeing friends, and on many occasions their must needed appointments. I witness first hand how isolated this has made them as they love nothing more than going to gigs, going to the beach, even just something small like going to the park to feed squirrels brings them so much happiness. And seeing them not able to do any of it is heartbreaking.
That’s why I’ve decided to fundraise for a power chair (Electric wheelchair) so they can continue to live their best life, and give them back their independence. As much as we wish we could afford to buy one ourselves, we’ve already spent countless amounts on taxis, buses, trains to get them to and from appointments. As well as securing a new place to live due to our landlord kicking us out.
As we both hate asking for help so much, we’re also releasing fundraising (Trans themed, of course) T-shirts over at www.fishouttawater.bigcartel.com too, to ease our self imposed guilt a little.
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TALEAH'S LUPUS SLE & SICKLE CELL CAMPAIGN
My name is Taleah and I am 23. I have Lupus (SLE) and Sickle Cell Disease. I have been sick since 2011. I work part time from home, I go to school online full time taking, I am a senior and I am studying Psychology in hopes to become an advocate for Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault victims. I hope one day to open up my own shelter and then go back to school to get my masters so that I can become a counselor. My partner works full time, but it is not enough to cover bills, living expenses and my thousands of dollars in medical expenses.
My symptoms include: seizures, excruciating pain in my joints and muscles, breathing issues, nausea, high blood pressure, hair loss, skin rashes, vision loss (from medication), trouble walking, trouble digesting food and going to the restroom.
The Lupus has spread to my lungs, brain, joints, muscles, skin and part of my renal system.
My illneses also affect my GI tract (my bowel, intestines and stomach)
I am currently on portable oxygen while I am out and at night sometimes when I sleep due to the Lupus affecting my lungs.
Thank you for your support, all proceeds help with my medical expenses.
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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!