Please Support Mutya's Recovery and Expenses Fund

Dear world,

 

I am unable to work after injuring myself and I am most humbly requesting your support.

 

I am Mutya (moo-cha) Macatumpag (maca-toom-pag) an interdisciplinary artist in music, movement and visual arts. My work is deeply involved in performance and intergenerational creative empowerment facilitation.

 

I’m currently healing after dislocating both my knee caps from an unexpected skateboarding injury, a sport I have come to love. I have never felt anything like this. It has been an adjustment to be in pain and for my mobility to be limited at this time. Mobility is a privilege I do not take for granted.

 

To supplement my income, I have been working as a DoorDasher. This hustle requires more mobility than I currently have as I need to be able to quickly pick up and drop off deliveries.

I am calling in for your support to help me meet my rent, groceries, home and physio bills over these next few months, until I can get my stride back up. Your donations will help me make ends meet, while I am physically unable to work. I plan to go back to work as soon as I am physically and mentally able to and hopefully I will still be able to make it to my gigs this summer. So much is unpredictable at this time with this pandemic layered in and overlapping my knee injuries.

 

It is proving to be a lengthy process to get answers about my EI eligibility and this is not a guaranteed source of income. Even if I am approved, the benefits will not cover my basic living and recovery expenses. There will also be a waiting period in which I will still need to take care of rent and other immediate costs. I am feeling the pressure of these upcoming expenses and having the means to cover them.

 

*Trigger warning: Description of Accident

 

What happened: On April 7th, 2022 I was out skateboarding with a friend. While going down a ramp, my board plateaued at the bottom. My skateboard did a swift speed wobble move and the next thing I felt was my feet and legs locked on the board. My knees aimed inward, and I could not shift them. I was thrown from my board onto the concrete, with my legs in this position and they jammed into the ground. The impact caused both knee caps to pop out of their sockets and move to the right side of my legs and then return to their place.

 

I was taken to Burnaby General Hospital by ambulance, with the support and presence of my friend, Simone. In Emergency I got x-rays and further assessment. Thankfully, I did not have any broken bones, however I have torn and stretched ligaments and potential hairline fractures that will be further assessed in the coming weeks, as most hairline fractures cannot be seen or detected on x-rays. It will be a slow road to healing and could take about 6 months to a year before I can be fully active in sports again. In the meantime, crutches, physical therapy, small conscious sequential movements, taking things gently and slowly, will be my game.

 

I hope that through slow and patient rehabilitation, I will fully recover.

 

Please donate if you are able and/or share this campaign to reach out to more potential donors.

 

I am enormously thankful to you in advance for your generosity, support, care, and for the sharing of this campaign.

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Photo Credit: Phoenix Olivia