Déia’s Skin Cancer and Mold Treatment

Hi, my name is Emily Jean, and I’m starting this fundraiser for Déia Pauline. She is my housemate, friend, and overall badass, urgently needing help from her community!

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After a recent move to Atlanta, GA, and several years of working to detox her body from severe mold exposure, Deia developed a facial wound that would not heal. She has not been able to secure health insurance, and it took over half a year before she could see a doctor to biopsy the lesion and give her a formal skin cancer diagnosis. She is addressing issues appropriately through Functional Medicine. She now has some helpful health coverage via medical financial assistance through a hospital, but Functional Medicine will address the root causes of labs. However, this is out of pocket. Deia comes from a working-class/poor background. She needs help from her community and a larger web of connections to make it back to baseline.

Her expenses include

Deia is deeply dedicated to Earth, and has spent decades involved in movements toward collective liberation against war and tyranny. As an herbalist, she supports individuals and helps with community clinics where they are needed.

In her own words:

I am calling upon my community for any financial help you can offer at this time; reluctantly because so many people are in need, and yet by isolating myself/ourselves from each other, we remove the traditional support structures that human communities have had for thousands of years. By reconnecting with each other, we can transform the issues we face in these times.

After re-exposures to hidden indoor mycotoxins/mold, I have intermittent systemic flare-ups impacting my sinus, which seemed to coincide with this wound on my cheek. I’ve been unable to obtain health insurance, and with the delay in medical care, this cancerous nodule went under my radar. Finally, I reached a point to call a dear friend and Dr who sounded the alarm bells, then another dear friend to borrow money for a biopsy and diagnosis. I was left wondering how serious this is because it has gone on for a while, and I can feel it. But I don’t want people to worry about me. Basal Cell Cancer is mainly caused by sun exposure, rarely metastasizes and is treatable. Dr’s are advising a MOHs surgery which is very effective at removing BCC. I need help to get back to baseline healthwise and financially. I have a pre-op consult scheduled on August 24th, and I could have surgery as early as the end of August, which I have six months to pay off.

I have temporary coverage by Mercy Care Atlanta, a clinic that primarily works with unhoused people and has a sliding scale for folks like me who are falling between the cracks. Thankfully Mercy has already covered bloodwork, a dermatologist consult, an allergy clinic, and is associated with a hospital that could perform the surgery with a MOHs surgeon-in-residency. However, my doctor informed me that it could be a long wait. I am concerned about what risks that waiting this long can pose. I am hoping to raise money to at least cover accumulated medical experiences and, after the 24th, to possibly cover the surgery by the end of August so that I can get rid of this cancer as soon as possible.

I am one of tens of millions of people who lack health insurance. It is predominantly low-income womyn and womyn/people of color who are ‘‘ineligible’ and often uninsured. Because we are more likely to be low-wage workers in industries that don't offer benefits, job-based coverage fails poor & working-class people. The coverage I do have will change status as soon as I pick up additional work.

So, I am envisioning equal access to lifesaving treatment for all! And until then, all contributions are meaningful, including your words, prayers, and all acts of love!

In deep appreciation,

Deia Pauline