Hi, I'm Brittany! I'm a disabled nonbinary lesbian who was diagnosed with fibromyalgia in my twenties. I've been seeing doctors for years, from rheumatologists to physical therapists, exploring my treatment options and what I can do to manage and improve my condition. Since the onset of my condition in 2020, I have increasingly lost more and more functionality; I have completely lost the ability to work any kind of job due to physical deconditioning, chronic pain/fatigue, and brain fog. If I over-exert myself even a little bit, I suffer days of repercussions; excess pain, impaired memory/cognition, sensitivity to sound/light, severe fatigue, depression and, as a result, a deep, inescapable feeling of maddening, tearful helplessness.

I need an incredible amount of support from my family. I cannot afford my own living expenses, as I am currently in the process of seeking financial disability aid. I cannot drive, work, or do most chores due to weakness and pain. I cannot fill my own pill caddy or find things in the cabinets due to brain fog and cognitive impairment. I can barely shower, climb stairs, change bed sheets or clean my cat's litter box due to fatigue and breathlessness.

I finally got in to see my physical therapist for the first time in two years. He's changed a lot about his strategies for treating fibromyalgia since I saw him last, and he had a recommendation for me that genuinely gives me hope that I can drastically improve my strength, fatigue and cognition for the first time since the onset of my condition. He wants me to get an oxygen concentrator, a large machine that creates breathable air that, through tubes or a mask placed in my nose or over my lower face, I could inhale 2-4 times a day for a set amount of time and raise the oxygen levels in my body. By doing so, my body would have much more oxygen to work with as I go about activities and tasks, giving it fuel and energy and making laborious efforts much easier to accomplish. He's based this treatment plan around studies such as this one conducted in France, titled "Ehlers-Danlos and respiratory function. Clinical data on a cohort of 5,700 patients: oxygen therapy and physical rehabilitation medicine (P.R.M.)", and seen success with hundreds of patients since enacting this strategy.

The issue for myself, and many of his fibro patients, is that our oxygen levels are completely normal on tests. It's not that we have abnormally low oxygen, it's that we need abnormally more oxygen; this means that a doctor is unlikely to prescribe me an oxygen concentrator, and even if they did, my insurance would never in a thousand years pay for it, because my tests look normal and therefore this cost looks "medically unnecessary". But this machine could change my life. I could run errands again. Do chores for my family. Play with my cat. I might even be able to work or play sports again. It brings me to tears just thinking about how much of my life I could get back.

My family and I cannot afford this—not for a long time. These machines can normally only be purchased with a prescription in the United States, but my physical therapist has found one place I can buy them without a prescription. We do not know how long these will remain available, because if the seller is made to take them down by a government body, we'll have to hope we can find another source. Therefore, I have an unknown, but limited time to raise the funds to purchase this machine for myself. My hope is I can get together the funds before that time comes.

Thank you so much for reading, and thank you a thousand times more if you decide to donate. I know this is not the most pressing issue in the world, and I won't ever claim it is, but it would absolutely change my life, and it means the world to me that you took the time to read my story regardless of what you do from here. Please do NOT donate if you are in dire straits yourself. I am not in immediate danger of harm or in any kind of life-or-death situation; if you are in crisis, keep your money, I want you to be safe, your life is just as important in this universe as mine and you do NOT have to feel bad taking care of yourself or your loved ones. Thank you.