Hi! This is Jessica Finn. My partner Gretchen Jones (they/them) was diagnosed with stage 1 breast cancer in early June. With a body already taxed by POTS and Sjogren's, cancer promises to add a layer of disruptions and dangers in the months and years to come.
Gretchen is, objectively, a sweet baby angel and a national treasure with a brilliant mind, a huge heart, a wicked sense of humor, a radical sense of justice, and an endless thirst for knowledge. They have so much more to give to their several communities and society as a whole, and if their body would stop erecting new roadblocks that would be great thanks! *cough*
But! You can help! There are signup sheets for support paths, a meal train for delivery food, and this fundraiser for direct monetary aid. Your money will go towards
- compensating for Gretchen's unpaid time off from work for surgery recovery (no, they don't yet have disability or FMLA through their work despite being a critical team member, yes it is a crime)
- defraying tests and procedure costs. They DO have insurance so much of this is covered, but we all know covered isn't free! And there's rather a lot of appointments and preparations to make!
- making our lives easier and less stressful
Any amount helps and makes a concrete difference! Thank you so much for caring about them (and me!) in this time of great stress!
Organizer and beneficiary
Gretchen Jones
Beneficiary