Brain Surgery during historic strikes.

I'm Michelle Damis and I have a stupid %@$*#$@! brain tumor behind my right eye near my optic nerve, carotid artery nerve, and pituitary. Luckily we have caught it small and I've been told the chances of it being cancerous are VERY low (but we won't know for sure until we get it out). I am scheduled for surgery in December and I'm very grateful that we've qualified for health insurance (amidst a dual strike in the industry we both work in.) So here is my predicament - due to the strikes we have only had a few days of work here and there since August 2022. While we are lucky enough to have insurance our copays and deductibles for brain surgery are not going to be small and the next opportunity for any work is likely to be early 2024.

Before finding the tumor I was planning on going back to work in the fitness field to cover lost income from the strikes (which I did for over 30 years) but my little stowaway in my head had different plans. Not to mention the fitness industry still hasn't recovered from Covid and is offering pay rates at less than I made when I started in 1990 - crazy right?

If you are reading this you have probably enjoyed my fitness classes or personal training at some point in the last 30 years. Or maybe we have worked together on set. For the last few years, I've been focusing on writing screenplays and trying to produce and bring other people's stories to life - this path is one that takes a long time to pay off and is scary as you put in a ton of effort that may never amount to anything...but hey, not anywhere near as scary as having your skull opened up!

It is also scary and quite frankly embarrassing that I must ask for help, but so many friends have urged me to do just that. I am asking for funds to help cover medical costs (insurance will not cover anything cosmetic after the fact or things like wigs if needed, etc...) and lost wages as I recover. I humbly thank you for taking the time to read this and please reach out if you have more specific questions.