In memory of Izabelle Tsuneko New

*** these contributions will help us plan an iconíque memorial for our Izzy ***

Sick in Quarters (SiQ) is a remote collective of disabled, chronically ill, neurodivergent and Mad artist-organizers connecting through the Internet æther, as we continue to experience social extraction as a result of capitalist eugenics and multiple unmitigated pandemics. SiQ is a survivor-led group with an emphasis on our shared recovery.

In January of 2024, we unexpectedly lost a beloved friend, comrade and core member, Izabelle New. Her death has left a huge hole not only in our hearts, but in the daily lives and operations of our SiQ community.

Izzy lives on through the memory of all those she loves and who love her back. Her kindness is her legacy. We carry her light with us everywhere; a glowing candle in the darkness, a beacon, a firecracker. Our fierce advocate and tender friend. There are not enough words to express how dearly she was loved, and how sorely she will be missed. Izzy, we love you forever and always.

SiQ, alongside family and close friends of Izzy, are preparing in-person local and virtual vigils for our communities to grieve together. To ensure that these vigils are as safe and accessible as possible, we need support to access road travel, high filtration masks (N95+), Covid testing, air filtration, ASL interpretation, and living necessities for our small disabled team to convene together in our grief. We also need proper amenities and air purifiers to ensure the safety and protection of our immunocompromised and disabled SiQ-Os.

Being a majority queer trans and disabled group in recovery, many of us do not have supportive relationships with our blood families. We are each other’s chosen family and loved ones – and this is a family emergency. We deserve to share close space and hold one another through this immense loss, not separated in isolation. Please help make this possible.

More about SiQ & Izzy’s role :

Sick in Quarters prioritizes the perspectives, needs and voices of intersectionally-marginalized disabled, chronically ill, mentally ill, and neurodivergent people to make navigating disability less solitary, less daunting, and a more informed endeavor — where individuals can feel empowered and supported by community.

For those who are unfamiliar with the work Izzy was engaged in through SiQ, she graciously brought forth her fierce spirit and vast wisdom, with tools honed from recovery spaces, and studies in Disability Justice and Harm Reduction. She held such an open willingness to learn and a deep childlike thirst for ways to grow with one another as a collective unit. Among many “gifts of service” she offered was her role as time-keeper during our virtual events, steadily and care-fully holding space for every voice– signed, typed, spoken, or silent– in SiQ outer and inner space.

She was also our faithful Treasurer. Taking on this responsibility, knowing the rest of us could not, helped her discover her own learning disability with Dyscalculia, difficulty learning or comprehending numbers. This validated her lived experiences in childhood. And yet she persevered, determined to support our cause, and took on work she knew her brother Julian [rest in paradise together] dreamed of doing, in advocacy. Izzy brought her own tools to the trade, committed to Harm Reduction and Decolonization. She is irreplaceable, and we know she would want SiQ to continue with her in our hearts, in every gentle step towards healing.

In the months to come, we will be leaning on our extended communities to help SiQ continue to offer free education and resources, to ensure Izzy’s hopes and dreams stay intact, carried out by those who love her 444ever [forever].

Please share with your circles. We have Instagram post graphics to share via social media.

---

banner image description : graphic with a blurred digitized and zoomed in photograph background of a forest floor scattered with fallen leaves, small rocks, and wood chips. There’s scattered, small glowing light orbs across the ground. Toward the top left corner are 3 rows of text that each begin with a bright yellow number 4, followed by all caps white stamp-style font. The text reads : 4 IZABELLE [new line] 4 EVER [new line] 4 / 2024 [end text]. In the bottom center is text in the same white font style that reads : IN MEMORY OF IZZY [end text]. In the bottom right corner of the square graphic overlaid on the background is the SiQ logo, with the capital gothic letters S and Q in white, and the blood drop shaped lowercase letter i in bright red.