Dear community!

I’m organizing this fundraiser on behalf of my girlfriend Lila, who after many years of never putting her own needs first, began hormonal gender transition in 2022. About nine months later we moved to Portland to start a new life together. So far, Portland has been a very comfortable place for us to live, especially for Lila (compared to her old life in rural California), and I am incredibly happy that she feels happy here. I’m so proud of her for feeling confident to pursue ways to affirm her true self.

Since moving here she has worked very hard on both her personal trade (electric guitar/musical instrument building and repair) and on improving the home we live in (fixing our washing machine basically the day we moved in, replacing the faucets in both kitchen and bathroom, shelf building in multiple rooms, and tons more house and yard projects, which has saved us a LOT in home costs). She is the type of person who can’t relax - she always has to be fixing something or making something during the day, and a lot of it is helping me with my work, too!

Despite her constant focus and inspiring work ethic, her savings have been exhausted staying afloat over the year we’ve lived here. It turns out that starting out in a new city is an incredibly difficult task. She had a decades-long network of clients in California that is proving difficult to replace, though people here have been lovely and welcoming for the most part.

Last Tuesday after a bit of a wait, she had her first gender-affirming surgery. Although the surgery itself was covered by her insurance (thank goodness for OHP!), recovery time is 3-6 weeks (looking like 4-5 weeks, based on where she's at now). Coupled with it being summer - a slow time of year for instrument sales - the fact that she can’t work for an undetermined length of time is a huge source of stress.

Lila has always been an independent, self-sufficient person who has been adamant about not asking for help from others. Although we have only been together a couple of years, we have been friends since 2015 and over the years I have seen how generous and giving she is to her loved ones, her animal friends (she has many bird and squirrel friends in our yard, and a special kitty) and to me!

I am asking for your help (with her permission, finally) to help her navigate this time of healing with a donation. We are trying to raise $4800 for her usual expenses over two months plus a cushion to help her get back on track with work after healing.

Other ways to donate and/or help:

-Venmo me at Yoko-OK with the note “For Lila”

-Schedule an instrument tuneup or repair for when she can work again (Portland local folks only)

-Check out her 20+ guitars & other instruments she has on consignment at Old Town Music (Portland local folks only, or if you come visit! Ask to see guitars by Lila V!)

Thank you for reading this! We appreciate you.

-Yoko (and Lila)