Hi friends,

 

I’m writing to update you on Alice’s situation in the wake of her hospitalization a couple weeks ago. I know many of you will be wondering what you can do to help--at the moment, the most meaningful difference we can make is to help Alice cover the costs of her emergency medical care and some critical living expenses. As an immediate measure, I’ve started this GoFundMe on her behalf, hoping that our community can come together to help our friend through this difficult time. I’ve set the goal of collecting $4,600; if you are able, it would mean so much if you could contribute any amount to this fundraiser for our beloved friend and colleague.

 

 

As many of you know, Alice has been having health issues after suffering from cardiac arrest in the fall of 2019. Unfortunately, much of the medical help she needed as a result of this incident was postponed or made inaccessible by the pandemic--like many of us, Alice experienced a backslide in physical and emotional wellbeing while working from home and living through the isolation of quarantine.

 

 

Two weeks ago Alice was suffering from dizzy spells and fell at her desk at work. After being taken to St. Mary's Hospital it was determined that she had been in a state of atrial fibrillation for two weeks. After a week and a half of inpatient care, she's just been moved to the rehabilitation facility at St. Mary's, where she will be for two more weeks under the care of a variety of physicians, specialists, and physical therapists, all working with her to get her back on her feet.

 

 

As Alice is unable to work at the moment, I’m asking that we come together to help her successfully transition back to living at home. If we all pitch in, we can make sure Alice has all the accessibility features she’ll need in her apartment going forward--hopefully including a self-cleaning litter box for her sweet senior cat, Jojo! In the coming weeks to months Alice will also need support covering utility bills, groceries, and other daily essentials until she can get back to work.

 

 

On a personal note, Alice has always been a beam of sunshine, consistently putting others before herself, despite often being in pain and enduring health setbacks. No matter how bad she’s felt, she managed to bring her huge smile to the front desk at Craft Alliance and fill the hall with her contagious and booming laughter. I met Alice ten years ago when she trained me to teach camp with the 4-6 year olds. I remember being mesmerized by her enthusiasm and the way the kiddos gravitated to her warmth and cheer.

 

 

Over the years as we became closer, she became a safe person who I could confide in and who was always willing to hold space for me during dark times, and I've alway tried to do the same for her. Now that Alice is in need of some extra support, I'm hoping we can rally together to return the kindness and generosity that she's shown us.

 

 

Thank you all so much for your help!

 

Malaika