Help Ori With Health Issues and Stay Housed

On May 24th 2022, while in recovery from a double mastectomy, Ori had to be transported to another hospital ICU because they were in atrial fibrillation and their blood pressure could not hold steady. They then had a stroke on May 26th, 2022. They are completely alone with no family or financial support. They will be going to a stroke rehab facility or rehabbing at home.  You can view more about what happened and how you can support beyond this campaign by going to https://msha.ke/helpori or looking at the latest update on Tuesday July 12th, 2022.   URGENT NEEDS POSTED IN THE UPDATES TO AVOID EVICTION. - INTRODUCTION Hi, my name is Ori.   If you know me well, you know me as a survivor. You also know me as someone who has consistently shown up for community. Even my business is built up on making my services financially accessible to everyone; meaning I work on sliding scale and pay what you can for community.   And now I need the help and support of that community. First let me say it was very difficult for me to come to this stage, but I was encouraged by my friends, family, and colleagues to do this as I do need help and this is one time I cannot do this alone.   This campaign has been going overall since July of last year with only $4199.41 raised via another platform and direct aid.However, that amount has been exhausted because I had to pay my own health related expenses up until now. Now I have state insurance which requires me to keep assets of no more than $2500 at a time. I am caught in the middle on this and the only way to move through it is via donation so I can fully recover.   I had to use that platform because someone kept reporting my original campaign here all the time. It was exhausting. But I am willing to try this platform again.   BACKGROUND During the course of the pandemic, I came to a life-long conclusion, one that had been brewing since my transracial adoption at the age of 6. I realized that I was living a life that was masked and had spent most of my years on this earth advocating for others including their health and well-being, without really paying attention to my own. A couple years ago prior I had escaped a tumultuous and torturous abusive relationship. This was supposed to be my new start after two years of physical, emotional, financial, and spiritual abuse.   COMING OUT & RECONNECTING AS A TWO SPIRIT INDIGENOUS HUMAN And then the pandemic hit. This brought with it opportunity and trauma. For me, I lost everything. But during this time I was able to rebuild something that was true, a business and life, including coming out as a trans two-spirit person. I reconnected with my Indigenous tribe in Colombia as well as my entire remaining birth family; discovering that many of them had passed unfortunately. I met and spoke with two-spirit elders, and I began my red road, which included advocating for my health. I have spent the entire pandemic caring for others as a death and grief worker, as a coach, a guide, and as an aunty, a mother/father figure to my kin and community. But under the service something else was brewing and had come to a final conclusion by my doctors and myself. I was exhausted and my health was declining as I began my journey anew as a two-spirit non-binary person I have always been, that has been my birthright.   I began low dose testosterone, which has improved my health considerable but it doesn't change nor will it go as far as what surgery can.   HEREDITY FACTORS, TRANS HEALTH, & UPCOMING SURGERY I need surgery. I've been granted this surgery as part of my gender confirmation. The surgery itself is being covered by state insurance. But the recovery will be long. I have also gathered together a group of friends who will be able to assist me during the recovery in terms of staying with me to make meals, help me through the 2-6 weeks of bedrest and the eventual 8 weeks plus recovery period.   This surgery carries two purposes. One for gender confirmation and one to get rid of the endometriosis, fibroids, and PCOS that has plagued me my entire life, including causing serious complications that required 6 months of hospitalization for each of the youngest of my two children during the pregnancy.   Because of heredity and ancestry, my entire life has been plagued with reproductive issues, including cervical cancer. My entire family has a history that puts me at exceptionally high risk. I have to be tested every 3-6 months via mammogram, sonogram, and even MRIs to ensure that any impending cancer would be caught early. These arduous procedures and diligence have caught it twice before it spread. Unfortunately, my aunts, grandmothers, and my birth mother were not so fortunate. All of them passed early in life at very young ages. My birth mother died at 48. I am now facing 47 years this year. The average life expectancy is 56 for my entire family. At one point I was told I would not make it past 40.   Now that I am living my life the best as I ever could, I want a chance to surpass life expectancy and continue authentically as myself, while maintaining a clean bill of health and well-being.   THE ASK & OTHER FACTORS TO CONSIDER I need help staying housed and pivoting with my self-employment and small business. I was unable to work during what ended up being an extended and traumatic recovery from a radical hysterectomy. It was discovered prior to the hysterectomy during routine imaging that I have bone tumors. And, on top of that, when completing requested extra blood testing in preparation for top surgery, it was also discovered I have a rare blood disorder and a severe autoimmune disorder. As someone who provides offerings that are financially accessible for all, in particular for Black, Indigenous, People of the Global Majority (BIPOC) and Queer and Trans folks, I do not have savings. Not to mention, being on state insurance severely limits the ability to carry any sort of assets (and private insurance does not cover even half of my medical and health costs so that is not an option.)   For the first time in my lifetime, I live in a rent stabilized apartment in the city that provides me with the best quality of life and extended life medical care to myself. An apartment that is large enough to provide an opportunity not only for myself personally but also to house my small business as I move through what it will take to manage my health issues so that I can return to my ancestral home of Colombia and further reconnect and reunite with my family there. I live in a neighborhood that is relatively safe and in a building where I have the support of building neighbors and my landlords who treat me like family.   All of this also means that my bills will double, as I will not have a full time roommate anymore due to the numerous financial interruptions caused by past roommates while living in NYC. All during a time when I will need to be resting to recovery fully from a surgery that allows me to be myself and will extend my life expectancy.   That is a lot to carry and if very overwhelming for someone who has literally been working nonstop since they were 11 years old.     THE GOAL & WHY I NEED YOUR HELP I was able to put in for 4 months of rent paid via the ERAP program, however, after a month stable, this new diagnoses has thrown a wrench in everything. In the meantime I can still be evicted. I have at to hold steady and try to cobble together a financial life that pays my bills and supports everything my community based business needs.   I am at the higher end of the life expectancy of my immediate family members. My birthmother was 48 when she passed, my birthfather was 46. My younger siblings were 36 and 39. I want the opportunity to be the elder queer that I never had.   TIMELINE & CONCLUSION If you have read this far, I want to thank you. As you can see this is a big task for me to try to undertake myself while trying to recover from a gender confirming and life altering/prolonging much needed surgery as well as move through systemic health issues and a rare disease.   By helping me recover from gender affirmation surgery you will also be helping me recover from a surgery that will prolong my life as a generational hereditary cancer survivor and high-risk patient. I am chronically ill owning and operating a community-based business. My goal is to move through this difficult time with a bit of financial, physical, emotional, and spiritual ease and rest, while continuing to support myself and the communities I am connected to with my work and advocacy.   I want you to know that any amount helps. ANY AMOUNT. Even if you don't feel called or don't have the access to donate, sharing this means so much and is just as helpful.   Thank you for listening to my story.