My name is Edwin Rivera and I am fundraising to help with my shoulder surgery and subsequent recovery time. I am currently scheduled for a repair surgery on the May 8th (previous date of 10th of April). As of this moment, I am awaiting insurance approval. The best outcome recovery time is 6-8 weeks if it's just a clean-up, but I was told to expect a worst-case scenario where recovery could be 6-8 months along with PT, as it may be worse than what they can see through MRI.

A little back story: After getting sick for over 14 months at the break of the pandemic and losing my job at the time, I was thankfully able to leverage my passion for art, and for the past 4 years, I have been self-employed, working as an artist and freelancer.

Unfortunately, whether due to degeneration or the results of physically demanding jobs (I used to work at a Walmart DC as an order filler), I have been in severe pain these past few years, most notably in my back and right shoulder.

Identifying the cause of the pain has been an arduous process of elimination, as it originally started in my back before affecting my right shoulder. I have received 9 injections on my lower and upper spine as well as my neck, alongside a great amount of PT, due to severe arthritis found in my spine and neck. After finally getting some relief in my back, X-rays and subsequent MRI show tearing on my rotator cuff, alongside arthritis and moderate tendinopathy along multiple tendons, among other issues. I have had pain daily for the past 3 years, with nights being the worst, as I'm even unable to lift a blanket when in bed.

As an artist, my work output has been reducing steadily. I am right-handed, and any of my pieces take between 10 to 40 hours to complete, but I can't go any longer than 15 minutes without numbness and tingling in my hand and sharp aches running down my arm. Sales from art commissions as well as sales at conventions are my primary source of income.

For those that know of my art or may be mildly interested, I will be running a special sale on my store alongside this fundraiser. This will include prints, T-shirts, canvas art, and art commissions. It's just one way that I can think of to provide something of value back to those who may be interested in helping out. You could add to or start an art collection, gift the items to a significant other or family, or keep them as a memento of your generosity. Here's the link to my fundraiser sale: https://this1guystudios.com/collections/surgery-fundraiser