A laptop so Essie can keep working
Donation protected
I'm a creative with a chronic illness. This is a tough combination, because I'm often hindered in the work I want to do by the restrictions my body places on my capabilities.
I was diagnosed with M.E./C.F.S. in 2010, but experienced almost full remission while pregnant with our son in 2011-12.
Unfortunately, last year I experienced several health setbacks, including being hospitalised multiple times with pulmonary embolisms. This period of prolonged illness triggered a serious relapse in my chronic pain and fatigue symptoms, and I haven't been able to fully recover.
My doctors and my family are now looking at ways to deal with living this way long term.
And I am looking at ways I can continue to work and be productive in this new, vastly restricted normality.
As a writer I am able to take on freelance work and work from home, which is excellent for me. It gives me a sense of purpose, and helps me support my family.
In addition to this, I have recently started a vlog series about living with chronic illness. I believe that creating dialogue around chronic illness, and building understanding of it is so important, and that's what I'm aiming to do with my videos, and in my broder creative work.
The problem is, I am often in too much pain, or too physically weak to sit up in a chair to write, or edit my videos.
I need a laptop that is capable of running video editing software so that I can continue to create, even though I am unwell.
While asking for this is really hard, I'm biting the bullet and doing it anyway.
I'm hoping that the people who watch and like my videos, and who know and love me in real life, will be able to chip in to help me get the tools I need to keep doing what I love, in spite of this challenging situation.
I was diagnosed with M.E./C.F.S. in 2010, but experienced almost full remission while pregnant with our son in 2011-12.
Unfortunately, last year I experienced several health setbacks, including being hospitalised multiple times with pulmonary embolisms. This period of prolonged illness triggered a serious relapse in my chronic pain and fatigue symptoms, and I haven't been able to fully recover.
My doctors and my family are now looking at ways to deal with living this way long term.
And I am looking at ways I can continue to work and be productive in this new, vastly restricted normality.
As a writer I am able to take on freelance work and work from home, which is excellent for me. It gives me a sense of purpose, and helps me support my family.
In addition to this, I have recently started a vlog series about living with chronic illness. I believe that creating dialogue around chronic illness, and building understanding of it is so important, and that's what I'm aiming to do with my videos, and in my broder creative work.
The problem is, I am often in too much pain, or too physically weak to sit up in a chair to write, or edit my videos.
I need a laptop that is capable of running video editing software so that I can continue to create, even though I am unwell.
While asking for this is really hard, I'm biting the bullet and doing it anyway.
I'm hoping that the people who watch and like my videos, and who know and love me in real life, will be able to chip in to help me get the tools I need to keep doing what I love, in spite of this challenging situation.
Organizer
Essie Ruth Smith
Organizer
Thornbury VIC
