Hiya!

Many of you know me already, but my name is Cammie, and I've been struggling with Fibromyalgia since I was about eight or nine years old. It took all the way from then until I was 25 to actually recieve my diagnosis, in spite of the fact that my health has continued to deteriorate over the years.

There's a lot that I'm still able to do- and I try to be really active in my community when it comes to things like Event orginization and making sure I always keep drawing- but it's also impossible to ignore the effects this chronic illness has had on my body. In 2023 I went to my first PAX Aus, and while the event itself was amazing, the experience was eye-openingly painful. I was suffering, sweaty, out of breath, heart pounding, and in so so much pain, even with my walking stick (which I use at all times out of the house). The following year, I was hesitant to even go, and only did because I came into a bit of money and was able to hire an electric wheelchair- and it was game changing. PAX 2024 was amazing, and it was a dream come true to be able to experience an event like that without being in constant pain or out of breath.

I'm planning on going again this year, but am running into so many issues with wheelchair hire- both availability, and the necessity to hire it for a minimum of a week (despite my trip being only a weekend long). And given the fact that my health and mobility are likely to deteriorate even further with age (I'm still working on building muscle and endurance back up to improve it with help from the RHH and Specialist pain management), by far the simplest solution is to invest in my own wheelchair. But I don't want to have to buy a cheap one that will fall apart on me in a few years when I may need to rely on it more- so I took one of my housemate's advice to set up a go fund me to try and help me get a more sustainable one. I don't expect to be able to afford a power chair, but that's more reason for me to try and invest in one I'll be able to use long term manually, so that I can keep my independance for years to come.

Obviously no one is obligated to donate, but I really appreciate anything you do, as it will help me make a more secure and worthwhile purchase to help support my health now and in future! And I'll do what I can to keep creating accessible events and spaces in my own home state, so that people like me get to enjoy events like these without having to navigate so many ridiculous hoops that so many disabled people are expected to every day of their lives.