Send Danny to the Hospital

❤️‍❤️❤️‍ Update! I'm only $74 dollars away from my goal! With this safety net, I will be entering hospitalization tomorrow.

I'm so amazed and touched by the love and generosity of my queer community, and anyone who has reached out in any way, with anything so much as a kind word. If donations surprise my original goal, funds will be applied directly to co-pays and out-of-pocket medical expenses, and maybe an ice cream cone.

Hi, my name is Danny. Please send me to the hospital. I am writing to ask for help with a portion of my psychiatric hospitalization costs.

This winter I lived through a three-month-long dysphoric manic episode. It wrecked my life and made messes in the lives of people that were close to me. I am trying to pick up the pieces of my health, but I'm still very sick. I experience symptoms of bipolar almost incessantly, despite no longer being in a state of full-blown mania or depression.

Though this wasn't my first episode, it was by far the worst. Despite all that chaos, I managed to maintain my fifteen months of sobriety.

This world can be so hard to navigate. For me, that navigation includes Bipolar Spectrum Disorder. Bipolar is more than just two poles — it comes wrapped up with lots of symptoms which can be present either with or without the extremes of mania or depression.*

I am under the care of medical professionals, therapists, and prescribers who are allies. I am currently paying out-of-pocket for all my healthcare.

I have applied for Medicaid but have yet to receive coverage. It could take over a month, and I am in a mental health crisis. I can't wait a month to go to the hospital.

I am hoping to raise enough money to cover part of the initial stay (minimum 7 days) in an LGBTQ+ inpatient facility here in Philly. The other portion I am able to swing, more or less.

Yes, it's a lot, and this is just a "kinda-nice" place. What an age we live in.

This amount of money would allow me to enter an LGBTQ+ hospital program that feels vaguely safe to me. If and when the insurance payback comes through in the next few weeks, I'll apply that money directly to medication, therapy, and basic living expenses so that my long-suffering partner and I can take a few deep breaths while I continue my recovery at home.

Bringing this amount of stability to our lives would greatly increase the chances of a healthy long-term recovery for me.

Meeting my basic living expenses after leaving the hospital means I can find a little bit of rest within the mental and emotional turmoil that has defined this chapter of my life.

I am eternally grateful to the chosen family that has supported me in many needful ways as I've tried to recover at home. It's clear to me now that hospitalization is required to give me the best chance at meaningful recovery.

Sharing is the greatest gift of all—if sharing coin isn't feasible, sharing this link with a friend or two is deeply appreciated.

Sincerely,

Danny

*Symptoms I experience:

Irritability, sadness, hopelessness, frustration, anger, feelings of worthlessness, pessimism, suicidal thoughts, poor memory and concentration, sudden bouts of rage, difficulty sleeping, needing less sleep to feel rested, loss of appetite, increase in appetite, loss of libido, constant questioning of one's own behavior, agitation, restlessness, compulsive movement of the limbs, facial tics, lack if energy, excess energy, psychosis, argumentativeness, dissociation, audio and visual hallucinations, delusions particularly of being surveilled, distorted thinking, feeling constantly overwhelmed, difficulty meeting obligations, sensory processing disorder, poor sense of time, compulsively over analyzing social situations, intrusive thoughts, racing thoughts, inability to make decisions, feeling physically uncomfortable in any position, difficulty identifying with other people's emotions, catastrophic thinking, lack of self awareness and insight, thoughts of self harm, distrust of loved ones, reduced need for sleep, planning how to "appear normal" or hiding symptoms from others, inability to find comfort.