Help support Ariel’s recovery from chronic illness

As someone in recovery from being in chronic survival mode for most my life this is a really hard thing to do. As many of us who’ve dealt with financial insecurity know, it is a very vulnerable thing to ask for help. Having been chronically ill for 15 years and for the most part a dependent on my partner for the last 3 years, I know intimately the guilt of not being able to keep up and provide for myself. All that said I could really use some medical treatments that my partner and I don’t have the money for.

What I’ve come to realize recently after experiencing a regression in my recovery from traumatic brain injury is that all my years of chronic stress, trauma, resulting ptsd, and a myriad of different infections (mycotoxin exposure aka mold related illness, bartonella/lyme, covid) have resulted in a pretty serious brain injury. I’ve been really struggling to recover for the last 3 years since getting covid while already very ill. Recently I pushed myself too far too fast and regressed, I was actually feeling much better… until I wasn’t.

What I really need now among other things is hyperbaric oxygen therapy for my poor brain (which is quite expensive), and prolotherapy to help correct my cervical spine instability which is negatively affecting the ability of my vagus nerve function and exacerbating my dysautonomia. All the infections I’ve had have really messed up my connective tissue. The naturopath I saw a couple of years back says he sees connective tissue issues a lot with toxic mold exposure as high as mine is. I lived in a rotting house for years but didn’t realize for quite some time why my body literally started to disintegrate while living there.

Since getting covid my brain hasn’t been the same and I don’t feel like myself, I get glimpses sometimes so I know I’m still in there, but thus far I can’t work or really even make art, and have been largely housebound for the last three years. Along with neuroplasticity, meditation, and vagus nerve exercises I feel like I can still recover. Before this recent setback I was really on a roll.

Needless to say my ego has been obliterated by all this, this is what the dark night of the soul looks like. I am humbled beyond anything that I could’ve possibly imagined, and I’ve been learning a lot. I intend to keep learning, and focus on both the mindbody connection and offer what physical support I can to myself with whatever resources this fundraiser provides. Thank you from the bottom of my heart for whatever contribution you can offer, and blessings to you and those close to you, may you know health and peace.