Hello everyone! My name is Bethany Berg. I’m an artist from Colorado who works in games, animation and TTRPG’s. These past few years have been rough as I’ve had to try and survive while also working to overcome several major health issues. I’ve made a lot of progress despite everything, however there’s still a few issues remaining that need to get fixed and unfortunately I just don’t have the money to fix them yet. That’s why I’m coming to the public to ask for help.

UPDATE 3-8-23: WOW thank you so much to everyone who has donated so far! I've already been able to get my surgery date set up and we're getting closer to it. Unfortunately, things have been way more expensive than I expected, including some surprise equipment costs for recovery. I've adjusted the total a bit to reflect that. Getting my teeth done is still very up in the air right now, so I'm hoping if more funds come in that can be a guaranteed thing.

Problem #1: Several teeth cavities that need fixing before they become bigger issues. I’ve put in an insane amount of work to find a decent dentist and overcome some major dental phobias, but unfortunately I only have Medicaid for dental insurance and the amount it covers is very tiny. I’ve used up my dental coverage on other fillings, and I still have two major cavities that need to be fixed. I was quoted $800 in fall of last year, but it’s possible that the price could be higher because of complications which is why I’ve set the gofundme for a larger number just in case.

Problem #2: This is my biggest obstacle. I have a labral tear in my right hip joint, along with the beginnings of bone impingements growing from the deteriorating tissue and muscle. This labral tear is EXTREMELY painful and causes me daily severe pain. It has limited my range of motion, my ability to work and function, my ability to take care of and provide for myself, and has severely impacted my mental and physical wellbeing.

The good news is that, after trying every other possible solution, I have found a very good orthopedist who takes Medicaid and is ready to do surgery to repair the torn labrum. He estimates I could see an 85-90% reduction in pain and it would improve my life immensely. I would be able to stop the heavy medication I have to currently take daily. I would be able to do my favorite activities again (riding horses with my sister, hiking in the mountains with my dog, working out, skiing, etc etc). Overall it will improve my quality of life a great deal. Medicaid will cover the costs of the surgery thankfully, but since I’m a freelance worker, I don’t get any paid time-off or disability insurance. Any extra money from this campaign will go towards living expenses and bills during my recovery time, since I won’t be able to work very easily.

Every tiny bit can help. Even $5 or $10 adds up quickly if enough people donate, so I’m hoping you can find a few extra dollars to help me get my life back on track. If you are currently unable to donate, any help spreading the link is still greatly appreciated.

Thank you all and sending love to everyone who reads this!

-Bethany Berg