Help give Onyx (Kalunga) the ability to breathe

Thu Dao is organizing this fundraiser.

Donation protected

Hello! My name is Thu (aka Raíz in the Capoeira community) and this is my bestie Onyx (known as Kalunga in the Capoeira community).

We are both students of Abadá Capoeira DC. Onyx has been training Capoeira for about a decade, and he is also a certified personal trainer. He loves being physically active, but he suffers from asthma and nasal polyps. Due to their presence and growth, he is not able to breathe through his nose nor smell.

The polyps were surgically removed when he was a teenager. This past year they grew back WITH A VENGEANCE, and he has tried nasal sprays, medications, and nasal flushing to alleviate the symptoms and swelling, but nothing has worked.

On November 19th, Onyx landed in the ER for not being able to breathe. His asthma had gotten triggered so everything went downhill very fast. It broke my heart to witness this strong man, normally so full of vitality, wheezing and gasping for breath and struggling to speak.

Nasal polyp removal surgery is his last resort. This brings me to the purpose of this GoFundMe, which I’m organizing on Onyx’s behalf. Any and all funds raised will go towards paying for CT scans to evaluate the severity of the polyps, for the surgery itself, medications needed for after surgery, and any post-op follow-up visits.

This surgery would make such a HUGE difference to his quality of life. Together, we can help give him the ability to just breathe normally through his nose, and to experience the simple joys of smelling his food or his favorite laundry detergent. Can you imagine cooking and not being able to smell the aroma of your favorite foods? Can you imagine exercising and ONLY being able to breathe through your mouth? Do you know how difficult eating is when trying to chew and breathe through the mouth at the same time? These are all things we take for granted, but this is what Onyx experiences every day.

Any amount, large or small, would be so much appreciated. Thank you for taking the time to read this, and thank you so much in advance for your generosity and kindness.