Hi! My name is Julia and I have a condition called Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome. What that essentially means is my joints don’t stay tight like yours do when you throw a ball. If I were to try that, I would dislocate my shoulder. I know it sounds so silly, dislocating a shoulder just from throwing a little ball, but that’s because the collagen (that special stuff that makes your joints, muscles, ligaments, skin, even your organs) isn’t being made properly (think of a foundation) before it’s sent out over the body to become bigger things like joints, tendons, and ligaments.

I injure myself very easily, and because of that, I’m almost always in pain. There is no cure for EDS (YET) but there are ways to make my life and the lives of all others with it a bit easier, and that’s mobility aids.

At the beginning of the summer, I had what I thought was either a flare-up of my Chronic Fatigue Syndrome or that one of my vertebrae had shifted, putting pressure on my spinal cord… because I couldn’t walk. I would stand for about 3 seconds before collapsing in exhaustion. This lasted for a week and a half. And as grateful as I was that it passed, I knew it would happen again and I needed help.

I have started trying to go through my state insurance but they’re giving me the run-around as they do. So I thought maybe I could get a little help from the good people of earth. This is by far no extra special model; there are no bells or whistles. It’ll be assembled to fit my hip width, but that’s it. It’s a basic chair design that will help me get out into the world, even on bad days.

Please consider contributing. My family and I are truly struggling to make ends meet (she’s retired due to a disability and I’m disabled in a way that won’t allow me to work). This chair could mean so much for my life and will allow me to get back out in the world again.

THANK YOU for taking the time to read this. Have a blessed day!