Fans of Daniel Meisner are many. You’re receiving this message because you’re part of the wide and loving community that knows him as Dapper Dan, VCA Daniel, Ruby Brink Daniel, or Uncle Dan.

Daniel could use some collective care right now.

Over the past several years, he has been navigating multiple long-term health challenges: adult-onset asthma, severe allergies that impact his breathing, Hemochromatosis (excess iron in the blood requiring regular blood draws), and most recently, a benign tumor on his pituitary gland. The good news—his brain surgery was completed successfully this week (hooray!), and he is now beginning the recovery process.

Daniel has worked two or more jobs for as long as most of us have known him. For over a decade, he biked Harbor Avenue at midnight to catch the last ferry to Vashon after catering shifts at Salty’s. He has juggled three jobs on Vashon at once to make ends meet and, until recently, did all of this without health insurance.

In the last few years alone, Daniel has faced mounting medical bills, the sudden loss of both of his siblings—his last remaining immediate family—and nearly nine months without work during COVID.

There is some bright news. Daniel is now working full-time at the Vashon Center for the Arts, which finally provides him with health insurance. Unfortunately, it does not cover the full cost of his recent brain surgery, nor the income he will lose while he is unable to work during recovery.

We are hoping to raise funds to help Daniel cover medical expenses, bridge the gap while he heals, and relieve enough financial pressure so he can focus on what matters most—his recovery and long-term health. We are also assisting him with his WA FMLA application and will be helping with paperwork and aftercare in the weeks ahead.

Any support you’re able to offer—of any amount—means a great deal. Thank you for being part of Daniel’s community and for showing up for him in this moment.

With gratitude,

❤️