Hi y'all,

My friend Era needs medical treatment for some debilitating health issues she has been dealing with for the past couple of years. She has been diagnosed with MELAS, which is a mitochondrial dysfunctional disorder, and an MRI has confirmed a brain tumor in the pituitary gland area, along with growths in her throat and neck near her tonsils and lymph nodes. Treatment for MELAS, the brain tumor, and the growths in her neck are intertwined.

When I first met Era, she was always outside digging potatoes in the garden and cooking and doing all the great things we love to do. She was my permaculture instructor when I first met her, and became such a great friend to me. We designed and dreamed of gardens together, attempting to build a community of like minds and hearts. We would celebrate together when times were good and commiserate together when times were tough. She was leading a very active life, educating, creating, and organizing in service to others when we first met, and was just beginning her family with her partner Wes.

Over the past 5 years I have watched her progressively lose the ability to do things most of us take for granted, like cooking, walking, bathing, even being alone. I met her in Oregon and we used to walk around the village where we lived and look at all of the plants and waterflows and tend the land together. There was a time after she moved to Asheville and before I moved back to the east where I didn't see her for some months, and I didn't realize how serious her issues were. The change was clear as day when we reunited in North Carolina, as I saw her struggle to stand up and walk outside. Now, wheelchair bound, she requires constant caretaking due to her illnesses and her and her family's quality of life has suffered immensely because of the disease in her body.

Please consider donating to her gofundme to raise enough money to cover all costs related to her treatment and recovery process. We chose $100,000 as our goal because of the multifaceted and expensive reality of receiving medical treatment. More specifically, this gofundme is for covering:

A wheelchair accessible van for getting to appointments and treatments, and for overall increasing the quality of life for Era and the family. She is currently housebound because her power chair cannot fit into the car they currently have. Physical exertion causes her to have seizures and strokes. A wheelchair accessible van is somewhere around $20,000.

She has a consultation with a MELAS specialist in New York City, which is crucial to moving forward with the treatment for the disorder. Between the consultation fee, accessible lodging, gas, meals, childcare, and securing accessible transport, we are estimating this trip alone will cost close to $20,000.

We estimate further ongoing treatment and consults for her MELAS will cost another $20,000.

The growths in her brain, neck, and throat also need to be tested and treated. We estimate another $20,000 to cover the cost.

An extra cushion of $20,000 to cover if our estimates have fallen short or if more work needs to be done.

Thank you from the bottom of my heart. Era means the world to me and I can't say I am a good friend if I didn't try to help her out in this time of need. Hard times always show who the truly virtuous people are and there's no better time to dig into our virtues than now.

Sincerely,

Nathan, a friend, pupil, and reflection of Era