Tansi, Boozhoo, Greetings.
I’m a multiply disabled, immobile Indigenous personal mentor, speaker and facilitator working virtually from home with my own business. I’m also mom to my son in the spirit world and my multiply disabled adult daughter, who lives with me because she is unable to work.
All I want to do is continue my longtime work of helping women, who are advocating for decolonization and the healing of humanity like I am, to find their voice.
Worsening chronic illness has left me without savings and the ability to work enough to sustain me and my daughter.
Working past my capacity just to barely survive is what keeps worsening my health and on and on the cycle goes.
MY BIGGEST WORSENING HEALTH CONCERNS:
- 24/7 Chronic Pain
- ME/CFS with PEM
- Fibromyalgia
- Sleep Apnea and Insomnia
- Bone Loss (tests are in for osteoporosis)
- Daily Migraines
- Light Sensitivity (sometimes have to be in total darkness)
- Carpal Tunnel, Neuropathy and Tendinitis in my left wrist, hand, arm and elbow
- Osteoarthritis
- High Blood Pressure
- Major Memory Loss
- Cognitive Decline
- Long Coh Vid
That’s why I need your support.
WHY I’M OUT OF OPTIONS:
- Ever since my son was murdered in 2016, it’s been a bumpy ride.
- The p@nd3mic – and the resulting illness and health conditions that began with lung damage in early 2020 – have made everything much worse.
- Many of my symptoms are treatable but the treatments are not covered by OHIP (provincial health insurance).
- Since I'm a solo entrepreneur, I have no medical insurance and no sick or vacation time.
- If I go on provincial disability (ODSP) I will lose my home. I can only keep up to $1000/mo of my business earnings (the government takes the rest) and that would leave me with nothing paid but the rent and hydro. I’ve been on it before. I know how it works.
- My (adoptive) parents died when I was a teenager and the rest of my family either can’t or won’t help.
- I need time and proper care to heal, recover and figure out how to run my business extremely part-time and make that sustainable.
- Due to immobility, CPTSD, being immunocompromised and being limited to 1-2 hours of work capacity a day, I can’t just get a job.
More about my situation is below but in case you’re pressed for time…
HOW YOUR CONTRIBUTION WILL ASSIST ME:
Your support will help me to keep my apartment, Internet and phone over the fall and winter, get back on my feet physically, medically and financially, and continue my life’s work with women in a way that sustains me and my daughter without worsening my health.
Your contribution will also help me to avoid CPTSD, fatigue and pain flare-ups due to severe financial stress.
Please help me get back to myself, so I can spend time in nature again like this.
How You Can Help:
- Donate to this fundraiser. No amount is too small.
- Please share this page. If you share to social media, please make your post public, say a little about why you're supporting this fundraiser, and ask your friends to share it too.
- Canadians can e-transfer me directly if preferred, at giftsforbrenda @ gmail.com.
- I’m happy to provide services if you’d rather hire or refer me. Visit my website to learn more. Sharing my gifts and helping my clients brings me joy, energy and healing. It’s the ongoing business planning, admin, strategizing and writing that brings on the pain, shuts down my brain and worsens several of the other symptoms.
Your Contribution Will Go Towards Basic Needs, Medical Support and Recovery:
- Rent for 3-4 months. My nearly 2k rent is almost covered for October, but November-February are the worst months of the year for me, full of murderversary dates and income slowdown. I need help with 50% of the rent.
- Healthy Foods that don’t worsen the GERD, Bone Loss, High Blood Pressure, Inflammation and Oral Allergy Syndrome.
- Hydro. Because of environmental allergies, smoking neighbours and poor building air quality, I have to run air purifiers and exhaust fans 24/7 and keep windows open as much as possible.
- Internet and Phone. My business and social life are 100% virtual now and so are certain healthcare services I require.
- Time Off to Rest, Rehabilitate and Recover. Radical rest for my brain and body is crucial or everything gets worse (like right now) and I need time to actually do the physio appointments and rehabilitation exercises.
- Specialized Virtual Physiotherapy Program and Home Body Work for relief and healing of my worst conditions.
- Prescriptions and Supplements.
- Heart Monitoring Deviceas required by the specialized physio program.
- Uber rides to/from lab tests, treatment sessions and medical appointments (I can't walk, take the bus or drive and have nobody to drive me).
- Medical Procedures and Equipment. I need foot surgery to be able to walk again. I need a home sleep study and CPAP. OHIP does not cover the majority of these expenses. I need more ice packs and a migraine ice gel cap for my ongoing migraines.
Whether it's big, small, prayers or vibes, you are appreciated.
Gchi Miigwech! Hiy Hiy Mistahi! Thank you so much for whatever support you can offer.
NEED TO KNOW MORE ABOUT ME OR MY SITUATION?
Right now there is no cure for many of my conditions but if I could afford to get appropriate symptomatic support, and if I didn’t have to work so much and so hard just to barely stay afloat, I could get some pretty good relief and begin to heal.
I love my clients dearly and it’s rare I have to reschedule a session, but I can hardly do any of the work that is required to make my business sustainable. Also, all my clients have already paid me in advance.
When I try to do the important background business work for more than 1-2 hours, I end up in a pain and fatigue flare-up for days to months (It’s been months with this one). Even just going to a medical appointment can set me back for days.
I lost everything when my son Quinn was taken from me. I worked so hard to rebuild after bankruptcy, I sustained a serious knee injury and then 2020 came along and I became immobile. I rebuilt again and again, moved away from Toronto due to affordability, and got so sick from a 2nd infection in September 2023 that I never recovered.
Whatever you can do to help means everything to me, and I appreciate you so very much. It's been several years since I've been able to go for a walk. With your support, I could walk again.
ᒥᔪᒪᐦᒋᐦᐅᐃᐧᐣ Miyomahcihowin,
Good health, good feelings,
Brenda
