In 2013, at the age of 31, our friend Calmela got the test results that confirmed all our worst fears. She had been diagnosed with Huntington's Disease (HD), a cruel nuerodegenerative genetic disorder. Cal lost her mother to the disease in 2006 and recently an uncle as well. 

Being diagnosed with a terminal illness sounds like the worst thing that could have happened to Cal, but her misfortunes since then have multiplied in so many ways that we, her friends, have decided that it is time the world heard her story, and hopefully, decide to help. 

Cal was an accomplished English teacher in a private high school and thanks to the increasing lack of coordination caused by HD, she had a bad fall down the stairs one day in 2013 and fractured her thumb. Soon after Cal admitted to her boss that she had HD. Although she was still able to carry out her duties, she was fired as they found it too "troublesome" to keep looking out for her.

Cal's condition meanwhile deteriorated.  She started going into bouts of severe depression. She started having uncoordinated, jerky body movements, dropped her things, fell heavily and without warning on sidewalks, and even in the bathroom once splitting her head on the tiles. Cal would spill soup on herself, drop her utensils and tremble when she saw a tiny slope on the sidewalk, knowing that she would struggle to step over it. She started having trouble speaking and her words became slurred and sometimes indistinguishable. It became clear that Cal's career as an English teacher was over as she was not able to speak clearly, and that she would never again work at a job she had loved very much. 

Subsequently every place she applied to refused to hire her. Meanwhile, the sister she was living with was becoming hostile and abusive with the realization that she was having to take on the financial burden of caring for Cal. Many times, Cal had to endure verbal abuse. This abuse gradually escalated into severe emotional abuse that resulted in Cal making several suicide attempts over the past 2 years.

Cal has other family members,  but unfortunately they have turned a blind eye and refuse to have anything to do with her. She had managed to rent out her spare room in order to hire a live-in helper, a kind woman who stuck with Cal despite having to handle emotional abuse from Cal's sister as well. Last week (October 2015), in a fit of spite and an attempt to throw Cal out of her own home, Cal's sister sent the helper back to Indonesia. This has resulted in Cal having to check into a hospital as she now needs full time care. 

With the inability to hire another helper or be employed, Cal is now left helpless. She cannot get up by herself, go to the bathroom or eat without help. While her physical capabilities have deteriorated rapidly, she has been strong and resilient in her fight to live her life as normally as possible. Cal is still our Cal, she is still of sound mind, and we, her friends, are appealing to you to donate for the following:

-Cal's medical bills
-Cal's food, clothing, transport and other neccessities
-Full-time nurse

Cal's misfortune started with HD, but it got a lot worse thanks to the lack of famillial support and abusive family members. We knew Cal as a bubbly, independent, energetic person full of life who loved to dance, planned to travel the world, become a writer, and who loved her students. We want her to be as safe, comfortable and as happy as possible. Love you Cal.