Hi, everyone,

This is Vesper and Salem. We’re a queer disabled couple, and we’re asking for whatever you can reasonably spare to help us financially stabilize after bottom surgery.

In July of this year, Vesper was lucky enough to get bottom surgery! There was a very real chance this might not have happened, because her health is so generally poor. Among other issues, she has a heart condition that will itself necessitate surgery in the next few years (possibly as early as next year). Her cardiologist made it clear that if she was going to have gender affirming surgery, it had to be as soon as possible, giving a variable time frame of up to a year. It took us two to have everything prepped, and this tight timeline (combined with other health factors) made surgery overseas our best option.

Unfortunately, Vesper is also the primary financial provider for our household, due to the overall collapse of the animation industry. When Salem lost their career, we suddenly had to make something major happen with significantly less resources, in an extremely tight timeline.

We’re asking for help after the fact (as opposed to before) because there was still a very real chance she would be turned away at the hospital (in fact, it almost happened after what turned out to be a false high blood pressure reading upon intake). We didn’t want to ask for help, and then have to find a way to give it back, in what would already be a horrid and messy moment. The last thing we would have wanted was for people to feel taken advantage of, even for a moment. If even one thing had gone differently, this would not have happened, so again, we are extremely lucky, and grateful that it did! We are also very lucky that we had assistance from a generous family member. This would not have been possible otherwise.

Vesper paid $23,641.50, including fees for the cardiologist ($200), extensive medical care ($3441.50 - she travelled alone, as Salem’s disability prevented accompaniment), and of course, the cost of the surgery itself ($20k). This wiped out about a decade of careful savings! This total does not account for travel costs, food, or post-operative recovery at home in Canada.

We are not asking for the full amount, nor do we expect to hit the number we indicated in the campaign. Things are terrible everywhere! We put it at that rate to reflect the costs incurred, but truthfully, any amount at all would be supremely helpful!

Specifically, it will help with:
- Overall survival: Salem is wrapping up their first industry contract in over three years, which means things have been a bit more sustainable for the last few months. Unfortunately, that’s ending, and there’s no indication when or even if the next contract will arrive.
- Emergency Savings: Also about three years ago, the roof of our apartment collapsed, and we used money (from the account that would later be dedicated for bottom surgery) to get out of that situation. It was a bad year! Should a similar thing happen again, we would be in serious trouble.
- Heart Surgery: Vesper won’t really be in a position to earn income for some time after heart surgery, and the initial purpose of these savings were to act as insulation for this inevitability. This is why they had been accumulated for longer than the known deadline.

Again, we don’t expect to hit the full amount, and we know things are terrible for everyone out there. We know we’re lucky to be in the position we’re in, and we wouldn’t ask if we didn’t feel like we needed the assistance. The truth is, we’ll be grateful for any help at all! So please, don’t feel obligated, and absolutely do not give in a way that damages your own survival/thriving.

Thank you for reading, and… Just, thank you. We sincerely hope you’re all doing well, and that the future brings you bright things, cats, and snacks.