Help the Abreu Family's Fight Against Invisible Barriers

Hi my name is Mariel Abreu, I’m Mom to LJ, Wife to Angel, an entrepreneur and Bird Guide for Birders; And I am living with an (invisible) disability that has rocked my world for the past 15 years! I am here to share a piece of my story, and to ask the bird/nature community for help in this difficult time for my family.

Friends, although this fundraiser is not the post I want to be writing, I am here to ask for your help for my family. For those that know me personally, I will start off by thanking you for always being wonderful and supportive people, I am so incredibly lucky to have you all in my life! Many of you who are reading this, met me through birding and nature, and we’ve likely shared a moment or two of pure bliss with a bird on the other end of our glass. I miss sharing life birds with you! In nature is where I thrive and feel most alive, and I think that is true with most of you too. But today, I am not in a place of pure bliss, but rather a place where life has taken me as it winds its roads. If you don’t know me personally, I thank you for taking your time to read this. I mean it, I appreciate you!

As I sat to write this out, I become overwhelmed with the emotions of writing out the events of my life since 2009, a truly life-changing year for me, and not in a good way. I wrote a detailed timeline of events that was too long a read, so I got down to most important details and decided to summarize it as best as I could…

I am living with a disability that is invisible to the average person. For the past 15 years it has affected every aspect of my life, from relationships to my earning potential which hinders my ability to support my family. I did not realize the impact my work accident in 2009 would have on the trajectory of my life. Or that I would still be dealing with symptoms on a daily basis. After that formaldehyde spill, I have been living in survival mode, where I am currently still am today. Worker’s compensation made seeking quality treatment an uphill battle, often leaving me frustrated with the lack of care or concern by the doctors they would send me too. And within a short period, they dropped my coverage, leaving me to figure out how to manage the reactions and symptoms on my own. With my disability limiting me on how I can earn an income, seeking treatment without insurance has not been a possibility. In the years following childbirth, my symptoms have gotten worse and have increased in frequency. Making matters worse, I currently have no treatment for this disability.

Symptoms/Reactions that occur when I come in proximity to a variety of commonly used fragranced products:

•Lose ability to speak, feels like my vocal cords become paralyzed, lowering my voice down to a whisper (video example from this week above)

•Difficulty breathing

•Lightheadedness

•Brain fog

•Headache/Migraines

•Intestinal discomfort

Examples of fragranced products and situations that occur without warning causing my domino reaction of symptoms:

•Perfumes/Colognes

•Shampoos

•Soaps

•Body Washes

•Plug-Ins

•Cleaning Products

•Laundry Detergents

•Fabric Softeners

•Cigarettes/Smoke

•Car Exhaust and more

My husband Angel has worked feverishly to support our family on one income for the past several years working every job opportunity (environmental monitoring work, guiding bird/butterfly tours, as well as bike, kayak, snorkel, history tours, landscaping work, consultations, to name some). He was working three different jobs at once for 1.5 years. He stretches himself thin, to make up for my disability limiting me from traditional employment, in order to make ends meet for our family. I wish it were enough, but we have fallen behind after the job sites he was monitoring were completed. In addition the recent increase in our rent, utilities and food expenses have exacerbated the issue. A series of challenging events has us in a tough situation financially in addition to continuing to deal with my disability.

And this is how I am living…but I am also so grateful to still be here; loving, learning, teaching, connecting, and growing with my family and friends. Especially grateful to be here with my daughter. I will not let my circumstances steal my belief that my best years are ahead, or that I still have value to serve this world, even with this frustrating and challenging invisible disability. I want to help others with my life experiences and the lessons learned from challenges I have overcome from my childhood to adulthood. Even though my struggles limit my efforts and speed of execution at times, I am determined to teach my daughter to strive for better even in the face of adversity.

I decided to publish this fundraiser in hopes that I can find help to regain some of myself again, and help my family keep the roof over our heads for the next two months, buy groceries, keep utilities on, and finally seek medical care that could help improve my quality of life.

If you would like to donate outside of this fundraiser via Zelle or another form, my phone number is the same one registered here.

If you are a medical professional that may know how to help me or connect me to a specialist that can help, I would greatly appreciate it!

Thank you so much for taking time to read a piece of my life story and some of the challenges my family is currently dealing with, but doing our best to overcome! We appreciate any way you are willing or able to help, including sending us good energy/wishes for brighter days/future ahead; we are grateful for you!

We wish you brighter days ahead for whatever challenges you may be facing in life.

Sincerely with love and appreciation,

Mariel Abreu

Note: Video above was taken this week, while taking my daughter for a sunset bike ride around our neighborhood. While on our walk a car with a strong exhaust smell drove by us, and due to my chemical sensitivity disability it took my ability to speak and breathe properly for an hour. I decided to take this video to share a moment in time with others of some of the challenges I deal with because of this disability. It affects my ability to work, how & where I can be everyday, and in reality altered every relationship I have. This disability has deeply affected every aspect of my life. Although it is difficult for me, I have started documenting each time it happens to help others understand. And maybe it will help someone else who may be dealing with a disability too. Disability or not my family needs me to keep showing up and putting my best efforts forward. For them, I will keep striving for better days ahead. Keep showing up, there are people that need you too!