Hi there,

I'm launching this fundraiser for Michael White, a veteran Vancouver writer/editor who is experiencing what he calls the most profound crisis of his life.

Michael is experiencing a full-blown relapse of cervical dystonia, a rare and debilitating neurological movement disorder that causes neck muscles to contract and spasm involuntarily. In addition to extreme pain, the non-motor symptoms of his dystonia include nausea, imbalance, insomnia and more. Michael was first afflicted with dystonia in 2015 but, thanks to early diagnosis and a recovery protocol learned from a specialist, he was able to drive it into remission. But COVID, which he contracted this past October, not only triggered a relapse; his symptoms are now significantly more complex than before. (He is also experiencing many symptoms of long COVID, including extreme fatigue.) He says he has never been so sick in his life.

Due to the variety and severity of symptoms, Michael is now incapable of going for walks, preparing meals, shopping for groceries, or taking transit. Even just taking a shower or making a mug of tea is an exhausting, painful endeavour.

Due to a combination of nausea, stress and depression, Michael has lost 22 pounds since December, and his symptoms have led to him not having a proper night’s sleep in weeks.

His doctors have told him he is suffering from profound exhaustion and he should be focusing entirely on his health. For financial reasons, though, he is still trying to work from home, but this is no longer sustainable.

Ideally, Michael needs to take at least a couple of months off work and make recovery his full-time job. As he puts it, "Either I conquer dystonia again or I remain disabled and in pain for life." But his last experience with dystonia in 2015/16 (and an extended period of unemployment that followed) wiped him out financially, and he cannot afford the time off without help from friends, colleagues, and other caring supporters.

This is where you come in! Please donate to help Michael take that much-needed time off so he can focus on getting better. Any donation large or small will help — but if we can get 100 people to donate $100, we will have $10,000. (And more is even better if you can swing it!) I've set the fundraiser up so the donations go directly to Michael, with no middle people.

Thank you for your generosity and your show of love and support for Michael. He deserves it!