Donate to Eris' Medical and Recovery Fund

Hi Dear Community,

Thank you for being here! I am seeking some financial support to help cover medical bills and time away from my small business during my post-surgery recovery period.

Last September, I learned that my body was growing a type of cyst that I have grown once before. It was in 2012 and led to some years of accumulating life altering medical trauma. Though they told me at the time it was likely that I'd go through all of this again, I really didn't want that to be true. It was psychologically and emotionally grueling to receive the news that it was happening and eventual surgery was on the horizon in the next year.

In May, my symptoms began to worsen and I went in for an ultra sound. Surgery was scheduled for June 3rd. I did a lot of self-advocacy for quality care with my team, and was truly in the best hands I could imagine for this procedure (shout out to folks at Aurora Sinai!). Still, I started to feel unwell after surgery on the 4th and ended up back in the ER on June 5th. Through bloodwork and imaging, they discovered elevated levels of an enzyme associated with heart injury as well as a hernia causing a bowel obstruction. This led to a same-day surgery, more cardiac testing, a few nights at the hospital and a longer recovery period than originally anticipated. Whew!

I am really relieved to report that my heart is doing well. I've had a history of heart of challenges associated with the 2012 surgery and worried that things were going to get scary again. My abdomen, on the other hand, is healing slowly and still pretty painful. I'm taking it easy and still navigating significant fatigue daily. I am anticipating a 6-week recovery period in total and am just doing the minimal work to keep my business afloat during that time.

Thank you for being a part of my care web. It makes it possible for me to tend to ongoing recovery needs without stressing as much about debt & is a meaningful part of reparative experience in this longer story arc of medical harm. I hope to be a part of your care web as needs arise, too.

With love & in solidarity,

Eris