<div>Hello! My name is Emily, and I’m having a terrible time! So I'm reaching out to my wonderful art and cartoon communities for support with a challenging financial / health crisis.
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<div>My fiancé and I are preparing to move from California to New Jersey within the next month. The apartment I'm in is awful, and the cost of living expenses are bleeding us dry. I love my roommates, but my fiancé and I very much need more space to work. For the past couple of years, vending at conventions has become my full time job. And due to the scale that I’m working at now, I need to move to a part of the country with more drivable conventions and more affordable living options.
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<div>Don’t get me wrong - I don’t regret moving to California for a second, and am forever thankful for the opportunities it has offered me (granted, coming from Montana, mostly anything is an improvement, so. lol). But I need change to happen before things get even worse.
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<div>We were expecting things to go smoothly leading up to our move - things were going well! We made plans to begin this move months ago, and were ready to get the ball rolling. Then shit hit the fan.
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<div><strong>In the past two months:</strong>
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<li>I got scammed by an event I invested hundreds in
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<li>I made half of what I usually make at what is (well, was) my most reliable convention
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<li>my mom got diagnosed with cancer
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<li>one of my best friends was hospitalized for a week
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<li>my third "permanent" dental crown suddenly broke, and it has to be extracted. This is not the first time this has happened, and it has now restarted the extensive - and expensive - dental work that I thought was long behind me. You can see everything that took place, including receipts for the bills, in a <a href="https://www.gofundme.com/f/help-emily-conquer-her-dental-bills" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">previous GoFundMe</a> that I had.
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<div>Emotionally and financially, I am exhausted. I haven’t felt this drained in years.
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<div>I'm trying to secure loans to help fund the move, but so far I haven't had much luck. So… here I am!
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<div>I cannot afford to stay where I’m at. My fiancé’s family has graciously offered to let us stay with them in New Jersey while we recover from the debt we’ve acclimated trying to survive these trying times. This will also let us explore places to live in person once we’ve recovered. But, in order to get there, it’s going to cost thousands…
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<div><strong>Broken down, this is what we’re looking at:</strong>
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<ul>
<li>$̶6̶0̶0̶0̶+̶ ̶f̶o̶r̶ ̶t̶h̶e̶ ̶P̶o̶d̶ ̶t̶h̶a̶t̶ ̶w̶i̶l̶l̶ ̶t̶a̶k̶e̶ ̶o̶u̶r̶ ̶s̶t̶u̶f̶f̶ ̶a̶c̶r̶o̶s̶s̶ ̶t̶h̶e̶ ̶c̶o̶u̶n̶t̶r̶y̶.̶ ̶D̶u̶e̶ ̶t̶o̶ ̶d̶e̶m̶a̶n̶d̶s̶ ̶i̶n̶ ̶o̶u̶r̶ ̶a̶r̶e̶a̶ ̶a̶n̶d̶ ̶w̶i̶t̶h̶ ̶h̶o̶w̶ ̶u̶n̶r̶e̶l̶i̶a̶b̶l̶e̶ ̶g̶a̶s̶ ̶p̶r̶i̶c̶e̶s̶ ̶a̶r̶e̶,̶ ̶U̶h̶a̶u̶l̶s̶ ̶h̶a̶v̶e̶,̶ ̶s̶h̶o̶c̶k̶i̶n̶g̶l̶y̶,̶ ̶b̶e̶e̶n̶ ̶m̶o̶r̶e̶ ̶e̶x̶p̶e̶n̶s̶i̶v̶e̶ ̶f̶o̶r̶ ̶a̶ ̶t̶r̶e̶k̶ ̶t̶h̶i̶s̶ ̶l̶o̶n̶g̶.̶ ̶(̶S̶h̶o̶u̶t̶ ̶o̶u̶t̶ ̶t̶o̶ ̶C̶o̶s̶t̶c̶o̶ ̶f̶o̶r̶ ̶t̶h̶e̶ ̶d̶i̶s̶c̶o̶u̶n̶t̶ ̶✌̶)̶ <strong>UPDATE:</strong> UHaul offers a very similar option to Pods for MUCH cheaper… and offers more space too! Changed budget from<em> $6000</em> to <em>$3500</em>
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<li><em>$700+</em> for gas, hotels, and food. Although most of our stuff is going to be shipped there, we will need our valuables and pets to be with us.
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<li><em>$300</em> for movers. Our currently apartment is up two flights of stairs, and we physically cannot bring down our furniture without help
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<li>$̶1̶0̶0̶0̶ ̶f̶o̶r̶ ̶d̶e̶n̶t̶a̶l̶ ̶I̶ ̶g̶u̶e̶s̶s̶?̶?̶?̶?̶ ̶I̶ ̶a̶m̶,̶ ̶o̶n̶c̶e̶ ̶a̶g̶a̶i̶n̶,̶ ̶i̶n̶ ̶c̶o̶m̶p̶l̶e̶t̶e̶ ̶l̶i̶m̶b̶o̶ ̶w̶i̶t̶h̶ ̶m̶y̶ ̶d̶e̶n̶t̶a̶l̶ ̶w̶o̶r̶k̶,̶ ̶a̶n̶d̶ ̶I̶ ̶d̶o̶n̶’̶t̶ ̶k̶n̶o̶w̶ ̶h̶o̶w̶ ̶I̶ ̶c̶a̶n̶ ̶c̶o̶v̶e̶r̶ ̶a̶l̶l̶ ̶o̶f̶ ̶t̶h̶i̶s̶ ̶a̶l̶o̶n̶e̶.̶ <strong>UPDATE:</strong> Insurance, miraculously, covered everything. It even covered a small cavity that needed to be redone! Removed<em> </em>the<em> $1000</em> goal needed for dental work
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<li><strong>UPDATE</strong>: Current tires are at risk of not making it across the country. Added <em>$600</em> to get new tires bought and installed.
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<div><strong>Why should you lend a hand with my many woes, you may ask? Well, here’s just a few reasons:</strong>
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<li>There is a possibility that you have money and I do not. The odds are quite likely!
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<li>I can continue to make art if I have a place to live. Neat!
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<li>I need to eat food to live, and having healthy teeth helps me eat food.
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<li>I also need to make money to eat food to live. I’m sure you can see the problem here
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<div>So! If you've enjoyed my work, please consider <a href="https://oomles.com/#moreinfo" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">commissioning me</a>, grabbing a goodie from <a href="https://www.etsy.com/shop/oomles" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">my shop</a>, or tossing a buck to the GoFundMe here. I'm afraid to ask for help, but I'm in genuine need, and every cent will go towards getting me back on my feet. If you've enjoyed my art over the years, I humbly ask for any support you can provide. Every little bit counts too - whether it's the price of a soda at McDonalds or the downpayment you were gonna put towards your 6th yacht. I will do my best to pay it forward by continuing to draw for you guys and entertain at the various conventions I attend.
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<div>I appreciate every single person who’s spent their time with me and my artwork, and want to keep sharing that with the world. Thank you for taking the time to read this
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Rafael Del Cid, Jr

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Help Me Move and Rebuild My Life

Help Me Move and Rebuild My Life

Still $1,210 to go. Help us build momentum.