Support Chelle's Healing Journey

Hi, my name is Alyssa Stark & I am sharing this on behalf of one of my lifelong friends. I have watched Chelle over the past year endure some of the biggest hardships; career-wise, financially & mentally — and as a hyper-independent individual, it has taken much convincing for her to share her story with our community + friends & family. I would love nothing more than to see her get back to a state where she can thrive, not only in her health, but in all the creative passions she has & needs to share with the world. I want to help get her story out there to help her + the numerous other women our age who have major health concerns & get brushed off by the medical system until it turns into something like she is experiencing. We are all sending her great strength to continue to heal & get more answers in this health journey.

“This has been one of the biggest challenges I have ever had to face in my lifetime, especially health-wise. About a year ago, I started experiencing extreme symptoms in my health that would be pushed off, ignored & ridiculed for months by male doctors as “irregular periods due to age” - “you are developing PCOS” & to be told many times “this is completely normal.” In September, I ended up in the ER with a cluster migraine that turned into something one could only categorize as a “mini-stroke,” which led to facial paralysis & doctors questioning the inconclusive test results. Fast forward months later, with continued self-advocacy for tests on my brain + many more ER visits, blood draws, individual research, community outreach & more; an MRI finally revealed a growth on my pituitary gland in my brain.

I’m a 27-year-old self-employed artist, and I’ve always poured my heart into creating, healing, and helping others feel beautiful and seen through my work. But recently, my life has been turned upside down, as the months spent in & out of the hospitals & visiting the doctor religiously to push for more answers — I couldn’t keep up with all that goes into running a business on your own, which in turn has made my business take a severe dip & my financial situation more than unmanageable.

MRI results concluded to a cyst on my pituitary gland—a crucial part of the brain that controls hormones, stress response, and so much more. The cyst has caused other problems including hearing loss, vision disturbances, trigeminal neuralgia + a long list of other things. This has deeply impacted my health, both mentally and physically, making it harder and harder for me to do the work I love and support myself fully.

Because I’m self-employed, I pay for my own health insurance out-of-pocket. Unfortunately, on top of that, most of the treatments that are actually helping me—like neurological visits, holistic therapies, lab testing, medication, supplements, and body-based care—aren’t covered by insurance at all.

Right now, my monthly medical expenses exceed what is financially doable, matched with the limited work I can do. In addition, I’m already $20,000+ deep in medical debt. Soon, I’ll need to start traveling out of town for more advanced neurological treatment, which means time off work and even more expenses I just can’t cover alone.

I’ve always believed in taking a natural, integrative approach to healing, and I’m doing everything I can to get better. But I’ve reached a point where I need help.

If you feel called to support me—whether through a donation, sharing this, or simply sending love—it would mean the world to me. Every bit goes directly toward treatments, travel for care, and covering the financial burden this illness has brought into my life.

In this process, I would also love to share what has helped get me the answers needed, what holistic approaches have helped & resources for other women who go through medical issues relating to women’s health, as it is something that we have to continue to advocate greatly for due to the answers simply not being as accessible as they should be. This has been one of the greatest struggles in this process, as many doctors don’t understand women’s health & holistic resources aren’t as $ friendly, especially in the current climate. But I do hope that this can also open up a bigger conversation & help others in the community so they don’t reach a point of financial burden or complete burnout in finding answers as I have experienced.

Thank you so much for taking the time to read this. I truly believe healing is possible, and with your help, I can get there.”

With love,

Chelleray

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Cashapp / $ChellerayWatt

Paypal / @chelleraywatt

In-person Fundraisers TBA