Calling the community to help our friend Markham!

Hi everyone, my name's Kyle Olsen. I first met Markham on the rooftop of the Museum of Contemporary Arts, it was New Years' Eve 2013 and we were both working at an event.  That night was the start of a friendship that has stood the test of time. 

As most of you know Markham Lane has been a fixture of the Sydney LGBTQI+ community for longer than he would probably like to admit. A lot of you would have met him on the dance floor at one of Sydney's iconic parties or know him as the guy who took your photo at an event, where he would always then stop and have a chat. Many of you are lucky enough to know him on a deeper level and cherish the friendship that you've had with him over the years. He's got a huge beaming cheeky smile and an equally huge personality to match.

He has worked tirelessly for our community, volunteering for Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras since 1994 in a variety of roles.  In 2018 he combined his marketing, content and creative skills to transform his acclaimed photographic exhibition "Colours of Our Community" into one of the most spectacular, inclusive, and indeed colourful floats the parade has seen. This all culminated, with thanks to his wonderfully supportive team, who all rallied together to realise a shared passion and vision, that their entry was awarded BEST FLOAT in 2021. Behind the smiles of that win was a broken man.

 

What most of you don't know is during July and August 2020 his life came crashing down. He sustained a brain injury as a result of a traumatic series of events that disabled his cognitive functions.

 

Markham's life has changed completely since his brain injury. The hopes, dreams, and aspirations he once had are all but gone.

I've spoken in person with Markham on a few occasions and I can tell you his day-to-day life is filled with social phobia, anxiety, depression, uncontrollable fits of crying, shaking, sweating, and stuttering. He now struggles to complete complex tasks and make decisions that you and I would make without much thought at all.

 

As a result he cannot work and has had to shut down his companies, resulting in huge financial losses. His savings are gone, he's lost his home and is now of "no fixed address" and is currently couch surfing. 

My partner Wayne and I are both trying to assist Markham so if anyone has access to short or long term accommodation options please contact either of us and we will pass the details onto him.

 

Apart from his housing issue, there is hope for Markham's treatment. There is a neurological procedure that has an 83% success rate in treating the symptoms he is experiencing but, of course, it costs a lot of money.   

Wayne and I are calling on everyone who knows Markham to consider how they can help. Whether you're a casual acquaintance, member of the Colours of Our Community family, or one of his dear, long-term friends, then please consider digging deep into your pocket and make a donation to help him in his recovery. 

We appreciate that this is a very difficult financial time for many,  especially those of you in the entertainment, hospitality and creative industries who have worked so closely with him, but any donation, large or small, will go a long way.

Markham is booked in for his first surgical procedure at the Sydney Adventist Hospital in Wahroonga on Wednesday 16th February 2022.  He'll receive a series of injections into the Stellar Ganglion Block (SGB) which if successful will provide relief for the symptoms of post traumatic stress and a partial return to normal brain function.   In conjunction with psychological and cognitive brain therapies (CBT) the surgery will have a huge impact on his return to normal life. If you're interested in understanding more about the procedure read more about it at stellacentre.com.au 

 

We are raising money to help Markham pay for the operation, associated medical bills and therapies. If we exceed our initial target of $2500 we will also be able to contribute to the significant accounting costs in winding up his businesses, which have to be finalised before he can be considered for Centrelink payments and government funded housing.

Please know that 100% of what is raised (minus GoGundMe's admin fee) will be presented directly to Markham as a gift from all of us.  
 
Markham knows people from all walks of life from across the globe. If anyone reading this is in a financial position where they are able to make a significant, generous donation, that doesn't wish to contribute through this platform, please reach out to us directly and we will work with you to make this happen.

 

Markham has always considered himself a fiercely independent person and he's done everything he could to try and prevent getting into this position.  However, sometimes in life, when there is no other option, you need to reach out and ask for help. 

I know many of you will be concerned about what you have just read and will most likely want to reach out and talk to him. At this stage, Markham has indicated that right now he needs to focus on his recovery and finds communicating too overwhelming as a result he has also disabled his social media accounts.   Although, he did ask us to say THANK YOU FROM THE BOTTOM OF HIS HEART. Right now he needs time to heal and hopefully, after his procedure, he'll be able to pick up the phone and thank everyone personally.

If you need to make contact with him directly you can contact either Wayne or myself and we'll pass the message onto him.   

With everyone's support, we are certain Markham is going to be okay.

 

Thank you for reading this.

Thank you for donating whatever you can afford.  One other way you can directly assist Markham is by sharing this fundraiser on your social media channels - thank you in advance for helping get the word out so together we can raise as much as we can.

Let's hope we have our friend and most colourful community member back up on his feet and smiling again very soon.

With thanks,

Kyle Olsen and Wayne Clark