Help Jove recover from surgery (again)

UPDATE: Hi friends. As some of you might already know, my tissue was sent out for pathology screening after my surgery and unfortunately they found cancer in both breasts. Thankfully, it was only pre-cancer cells in my left, but they did find a 1.5cm tumour in my right.

I am incredibly lucky they found it when they did, as I did not have any symptoms or felt any lumps. However, I have been scheduled to have surgery again on July 28 in order to remove some lymph nodes from my right armpit in order for them to test how far, if at all, the cancer has spread.

Again I am looking at 4-6 weeks off from work after surgery, and medical EI would not be able to cover all of my expenses while I’m off of work. In addition, my mental health has suffered since the diagnosis, and I no longer have enough benefits to see my counsellor.

Any help in alleviating some of the financial burden of dealing with cancer would be greatly appreciated as I try to navigate this trying time.

Much love,

Jove.

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Hi! I’m Jove (they/them) and I am a queer, trans, POC immigrant who has been living on the unceded territories of the Lekwungen speaking people, today known as the Songhees and Esquimalt First Nations, since 2018. I got GREAT news that I will be having top surgery in March 2023.

My chest has been a major source of dysphoria, long before I ever figured out that I was trans. I started binding (unsafely) when I was 13, so it’s been close to 20 years of me trying to hide this part of my body just so that I could feel comfortable. Getting top surgery is going to take so much weight off of my chest (heehee).

I currently work as a facilities maintenance worker for supportive housing, which means a lot of my job is physical in nature. Unfortunately, this means having to take the maximum amount of time off (6 weeks) as I would not be able to do any kind of lifting, but my employer has been kind enough to offer light duty for 2 weeks, which would allow me to only have to take 4 weeks of unpaid time off for recovery.

I am the sole breadwinner and support my partner as they are going to school, and our 2 dogs. While my surgery will be covered by MSP, my recovery time is not. Medical EI is not an option because EI will not pay me for at least 28 days, at which point I would have already gone back to work. I also cannot reach out to family for help as they do not approve of my gender identity.

All the money raised will be going towards rent, groceries and general monthly bills (phone, internet, hydro) for the month that I cannot work. While I have some savings, I am also scheduled for another big surgery later in the year and worry that I would not have enough set aside.

Please help me recover from top surgery without the additional stress of worrying about finances. I understand that the state of the world at present, with rising costs and inflation, means that people might not in a position to donate and I am in no way expecting to reach my goal. That said, every little bit counts and I would be eternally grateful for any support.