help patch recover and sustain

[header image: a wooden desk extension is pulled out and holds an abstract pink thermal tumbler (designed by Naima Lowe), a small plastic spoon sits in a bowl with plain yogurt. another tumbler cup with black lid and spout holds enteral nutrition formula beside a blue and orange five alive juice box. lastly an empty clear plastic feeding syringe with purple plunger stands next to the cups. in the right background, a large German Shepard puppy lies stretched out asleep on the hardwood floor.]

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"the pandemic isn't over just because you're over it"

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a little story...

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when 2022 began, among other things that have since dissolved, including an optimism that maybe this year it would be safe enough to organize accessible transit to see my kin in Ontario that I've not seen in person since 2019. unfortunately the manufactured demands of a capitalist economy prioritized heightening the myth of normalcy by removing capacity, mask, and vaccine mandates progressively from public outdoor to public indoor to public transit and private business.

the result being that an already dangerous able-bodied world was now additionally toxic and risky. this has meant that 98% of any shopping, appointments, facilitating or presenting has had to be strictly virtual or through delivery. the combination of rising inflation

in gas and food, and price gouging through fees, etc. has raised the cost of getting essentials delivered astronomically, prohibitively.

when the year started, major parts of my daily life were being supported by a weekly caregiver and a dog trainer boarding my SDiT puppy. before winter fully shifted into spring 2022, I had lost both of those very necessary supports and gained a monumental detour in wellness, routine, general functioning I am still recovering from.

I've had an escalating health crisis spanning most of 2022 that greatly impacted my ability to work or generate anything near the income I was already struggling to maintain prior to the pandemic.

without adequate or consistent access to home care or other disability supports (despite applying, again and being denied, again to the Winnipeg Regional Health's Authority home care program), my ability to keep my home clean, uncluttered, and wheelchair accessible has decreased to almost zero. this has made navigating off of my feet a major challenge which has resulted in an uptick in body pain, subluxation, and fatigue.

the disability tax is real! and I'm asking you to help me and the menagerie get through the winter. last year, due to unclear sidewalks and buried curb cuts, I was unable to leave my home with my wheelchair from December '21 to March of '22.

though we're tiptoeing towards Spring as I write this, I'm still weary to wheel out on my own after at least three very trying and traumatic wheels-stuck-in-the-snow episodes; one which ended in a broken wheelchair, a fibro flare and a meltdown. I'm hoping to find ways around that this year. (which looks like new mobility aids and other measures)

in 2023 it would be life-saving to be able to hire regular cleaners, support workers (even if that means training my own), shovelers, home repair techs, etc.

please consider donating to help me live through another prairie winter as your neighborhood Black, agender, still-sheltering-in-place-like-my-life-depends-on-it-because-it-does, disabled and chronically ill hermit poet.

{psst...if you're interested in contributing ongoing funds please visit and sign up to join my patreon.}

an approximate breakdown of some pending costs:

$900 whole house professional cleaning

$350-$500 tube feeding supplies for 1-3 months

$450 professional decluttering session

$200 approx. x4 $50 snow shovels

$500 multiple air purifiers for pet hair, dander, spores, etc.)

$1000/month for training walks for SDiT (service dog in training).

your donation will go towards immediate and on-going living and medical expenses. such as:

housing

groceries

service dog care:

grooming

training materials

elder beast

catcare

business expenses

medication (for myself and elder bea$t)

cleaning and decluttering

home care attendants

cabs to appointments

shoveling

poop scooping

feeding supplies (bags, gauze, syringes etc.)

new furnace filters

air purifiers

dehumidifier

and more...

long[er] game dream fundraising goals:

accessible bathroom reno ($35k estimate)

front ramp construction ($20+k)

backyard landscaping for wheelchair/scooter access ($10+k)

adjustable mattress ($5000+)

wheelchair upgrades/mobility scooter ($1000-$5000+)

thank you for reading, sharing, caring, and helping me maintain my chronically complex existence.

✌

patch

and the beasts