Building Health & Home for Moonbeam (in a Bus!)

“If you found yourself disabled, who would you turn to for support? Where would your resources come from? And what would make your life meaningful? ...If you then became involuntarily unhoused, how would you remain safe?”

Hi! My name is Moonbeam. I’m an artist living with multiple life-threatening and debilitating chronic illnesses– but I’m less debilitated living as a nomad in warm, natural landscapes, away from harmful environmental toxins. Recently, I became unhoused, and am reaching out to you for support. Your contributions will go toward the cost of basic renovations for transforming a school bus I own into a safe and functional shelter, assist in covering living expenses during construction, and help acquire an electric wheelchair to improve my mobility and autonomy.

My conditions include Wegener’s Granulomatosis Polyangitis (a rare autoimmune disease), Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (ME/CFS), Toxic Mold Poisoning, & Chronic Lyme Disease, among others. At the end of this narrative are links to learn more about these illnesses and my experience with them.

FROM NOMADLIFE TO TENT LIFE

For the last year and a half, I lived nomadically with my wonderful friend Jeff in his van. By receiving the care I needed and spending the majority of our time in nature, I began recovering mobility, strength, cooking and daily living skills I’d lost after becoming bedbound in 2020. It’s been a miracle to see my body regain vitality with the right support and right environment, and affirms nomadlife as a good path to a richer and more vibrant life for me.

In August 2023 I moved out of Jeff’s van. As part of the transition, I arranged to stay with a series of people who offered to host me, but the plans took a scary turn. Over the past two months, each of the four housing environments harmed my physical health and recovery significantly.

I’m currently unhoused and living in a tent in my friend’s yard in Arizona, and have reached the end of my savings and social safety net. I now require help building a healthy & stable home– in my bus.

Moonbeam, now living in a tent outside. Sept-Dec 2023.

HOUSING AS HEALTHCARE: ENVIRONMENTAL ILLNESS

My illnesses make my brain extremely sensitive to neurotoxic chemicals, molds, pollution, scents and smoke. So most houses, buildings, and industrial/densely populated regions make me very, very sick: I often experience paralysis, loss of speech, heightened cognitive impairment, my throat closing, and more. Living in these environments can either keep me from healing altogether, or mean I have to practice decontamination routines all day long to feel okay (which is exhausting). Being in a tent helps me avoid some of that, but is not sustainable long-term, obviously.

Not having a safe place to be, hang out, sleep, stay warm or stay cool, in addition to not having a social safety net for these circumstances is taking a very heavy toll on my mental & emotional health. Over the last year I’ve had to pull back from multiple social groups and relationships– not just because my body is unwell, but because I don’t know how to show up in front of people I care about when I’m about to be homeless and without care or income. I do not qualify for any traditional disability support. Even if I did, they’d require me to stay in climates and live in housing conditions that would work against my body’s specific health needs.

A nomad friend supporting Moonbeam by playing quiet music on a hard day– during an episode of paralysis with convulsions and speech loss.

THE BUS

To help me continue living with agency and autonomy, away from harmful environmental toxins that worsen my symptoms, last year I bought a retired yellow school bus (or “skoolie” as the nomad community calls them) that I am working to transform into a movable home-base and weaving studio on wheels. Once updated, my bus will provide me with a safe, clean, accessible home that can move to the environment and community that supports me best at any given time. My body feels better in warm weather, so I plan to make two big moves a year in the bus to stay in warm temps, and will recruit a friend or hire a driver for the seasonal moves.

I have limited strength and extreme sensitivity to many building materials, so fixing up the bus calls for gathering spectacular teams of able-bodied people to carry out the projects my body cannot do alone. Many skilled and generous hands have already worked to transform the bus into a clean, tall, open space– and I’ll need plenty more to help make it livable!

Moonbeam standing in front of her 40-foot skoolie, fondly named “Hoo! Bus” thanks to the letters left on its front after a little artistic editing with the Spring bus build team. This photo was taken during roof raise construction in early 2023.

With the major physical alterations done (the roof is raised and the bus is empty), there’s a clear path to livability in my bus. The funds and support raised here will help cover the costs of completing a list of basic renovations (outlined below) to create a safe and functional shelter. I’m also asking for help to support living expenses during construction, and raising money for an electric wheelchair to improve my mobility and autonomy.

Moonbeam’s bus in blue skies & blooming desert mountains after the roof raise.

WHAT YOUR DONATION WILL MAKE POSSIBLE:

Main Funding Goals:

+ $15,500 - Phase 1 Bus Projects (see details below)

+ $9,000 - Living Expenses during construction (abt 6 months)

+ $3,500 - Electric Wheelchair

+ $7,000 - Emergency Fund / Project Cushion

+ $1,050 - Covers Standard GoFundMe Bank fees (3%)

TOTAL: $36,000

*NOTE: If you would like to donate directly to me instead of through GFM (to avoid the 3% bank fees), my Venmo is @MoonbeamGardebring and my Paypal is @WeavingMoonbeam.

In the first 8 months of this crowdfunding campaign (Nov 2023- June 2024), we raised $12,730. Thank you for these life-giving donations! Moonbeam has split these funds between major bus projects & labor outlined below, and basic health & living expenses. Several skilled builders have generously donated their labor, affording us to make progress much faster than our budget would have otherwise allowed. Thank you bus builders! We've made wonderful progress but haven't yet completed Phase 1 Bus Home & Safety projects. There's a lot more bus to build and work to fund-- Let's get to it!

Inside the clean bus with raised roof.

Here are my “Phase 1” Bus Projects, and the estimated costs of the work my bus needs:

✓ = completed

* = in progress

Solar Energy Installation & Bus Shell Improvements $5,500

Kitchen, Bathroom, Bedroom (simple set-up) $2,850

Weatherizing/Safety $7,100

“Phase 2 & 3” projects in the future will include insulation, wiring, plumbing, walls, ceiling, finished flooring, counters, cabinets, and interior & exterior paint (and will require additional funding). But first we need to complete the basics!

Moonbeam and her bus resting in front of a tranquil Arizona sunset.

THANK YOU for reading and supporting me in my skoolie nomad health journey!

In addition, if you’d like to volunteer on the bus build or work on a bus project for hire, please connect with me via GoFundMe or on instagram @houseofmoonbeam – I love making new friends! To see more of my weaving and willow coffins, check out @weaveandwimble on insta and the resource list below.

All my Love,

Mb

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

(Note: Several dear friends are helping me co-author and run this GoFundMe due to my cognitive and physical impairments from my illnesses. I’m grateful for their love, accommodation, and support. <3)

Moonbeam’s bus parked with friends in the nomad community.

FAVORITE RESOURCES

Films:

Preview: Weaving a Beautiful Death (2020)

A 3 minute short film from Moonbeam’s thesis work, centering her journey with illness, preparing to die, and casket weaving in community. An expanded feature length film is currently in progress.

https://vimeo.com/418234352 (viewing password: Sunrise1987)

Unrest (2017)

An outstanding feature documentary about ME/CFS, now free on Youtube. This film is representative of Moonbeam’s experience with ME and is actually what led her to pursue diagnosis in 2020 & 2021.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XOpyLTyVxco&ab_channel=UnrestFilm

Moldy (2015)

A great 1-hour documentary covering the basics of toxic mold illness, also free on Youtube. Top US medical experts & mold survivors help people understand the science & challenges of mycotoxin exposure, and avenues for recovery.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2X_eRptkA2g&ab_channel=Dr.CalebCheung

Crip Camp: A Disability Revolution (2020)

Moonbeam’s favorite film— A phenomenal documentary on Netflix about the origins and growth of the modern disability rights movement that began at a summer camp for disabled youth during the counterculture of the 1960s.

https://www.netflix.com/title/81001496

Podcasts:

Upstream Podcast | “Health Communism with Beatrice Adler-Bolton” (July 2023)

A brilliant deep dive into the places health intersects with capitalism, this conversation explores main topics in the book Health Communism written by Beatrice Adler-Bolton & Artie Vierkant. Available on all podcast platforms.

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/upstream/id1082594532?i=1000621459266

Books:

Health Communism: A Surplus Manifesto by Beatrice Adler-Bolton & Artie Vierkant (2022)

This short book offers a new analysis of the relationship between healthcare and capitalism, explaining how public policy shapes whose lives are supported and whose are forfeited. The text is readable, sharp, & insightful, and looks at what it means to be part of the “Surplus Class” of people who are unable to work, and how a new framework of “Care for All” might actually help us reclaim our global health, value, and humanity.

https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/712391/health-communism-by-beatrice-adler-bolton-and-artie-vierkant/