support for cancer treatment & life after

Hi. It’s me, Jacqui ! I have cancer! Just a little cancer, I promise! But still, I could use your help.

The short version is this:

I was diagnosed with breast cancer in January and am also struggling with treatment-resistant depression. I’m asking for your support, if you care to give it, so that I can recover from a severe depression and prepare for the double mastectomy that will treat my breast cancer this summer. I am working as much as I can, but it’s not enough. With your help, I will cover some of my rent, utilities, and everyday costs; I will also pass a bit of it on to other people in crisis. Hopefully I will also do some writing on what is becoming a book project about my family, gender identity, and and breast cancer care. Maybe (?) most importantly, I will stop worrying about money for a little bit.

The longer version is this:

My depression returned early in 2021 and lasted the year. I spent November and December receiving novel depression treatments—transcranial magnetic stimulation and then prescription ketamine—five days a week. They worked. In late January, I was diagnosed with breast cancer & handed two family emergencies to deal with while trying to arrange cancer treatment that has so far been marked by struggling with medical discrimination. I was managing (?) all of that when I broke my ankle in March & my depression relapsed. I found out last week that the cancer might be hereditary after all. Oh, and my doctor thinks I might have a heart murmur.

I’m pretty much out of grit at this point. I live on an incredibly stupid hamster wheel of being sick and poor and tired and fixing my family’s disasters.

So I am asking for help.

I understand that fundraisers are not everyone’s cup of tea, and I totally understand if they aren’t yours. If you’d rather become a paid subscriber to my newsletter, I would be grateful for that. If you feel better paying a bill directly or passing along a gift card, those are absolutely welcome! If you’re an editor and would like to commission me, get in touch! And if all you’ve got to spare is good vibes, I am here for them.

It’s really kind of you to consider this. Thanks for being here. Thanks to those of you who have helped & even just reached out. All of it means the world.