My friend Joh needs help coping with disability and making a new path forward in life. I hope you can read more and consider supporting her very modest needs to get out of this crisis.

Joh has been suffering with a number of disabling conditions and has finally received the diagnoses and medications she needs to recover and function in life again. In the last few years she really struggled, unable to work. She received SDI disability payments for a while but they ran out before her SSI application could be approved (this is in the appeal phase). This means she has zero income and no safety net and is on the verge of homelessness and worse.

Joh has Ehlers-Danlos syndrome, a disease which causes a range of effects such as severe bruising even without obvious injury, and other connective tissue malfunction. She had a broken arm that would not heal and required multiple bone grafts over two years to try to get the bone to knit. She has joints that spontaneously dislocate for no apparent reason. Currently she is nursing ankle and shoulder joint injuries that are not really healing. As a kid, she knew she was hyper flexible, but this condition starts really taking its toll later in life, causing arthritis and chronic pain. There is no current effective treatment for Ehlers-Danlos syndrome.

Joh had a grade 2 concussion in 2017, and has also been diagnosed with Bipolar II disorder and C-PTSD, which collectively is a lot for a brain. This all results in severe anxiety and deep depression that need weekly monitoring and support, along with medication. It can be so difficult to stay healthy and functional, never mind climb out of an episode that severely impacts the ability to function in life.

Here's Joh's story in her own words:

"I am unwell. There’s no other way around this, or to say it…I am having a hard time just functioning in what most of us would call daily life. Or, as my clinician calls it: ADL’s–activities of daily living.

"Psychologically, it's not just that I am not adulting well. Unfortunately, most jobs require a working memory. And we’ve measured my attention span, and it is literally 5-7 minutes. Fuck dude, who is able to function at a high level with this "talent"? I’m getting treatment for both my physical and mental challenges. I’ve done inpatient and continue with outpatient treatment, while continuing therapy.

"My intent is to provide abundantly for myself, regardless of my triggers. I grieve over the loss of my previous life as a mountain biker. Moving forward, I am focusing on creative endeavors as I recover. I’m handy and spend my time growing and cultivating plants, then turning them into arrangements. Combined with upcycled, semi-precious stones, and fairy lights, I create dynamic nature-based multi-media art which I sell at local markets. But I need to build this business to support myself and I'm not there yet.

"What I need right now is financial support. It is unnerving to: A. ask for help and B. receive it. Yet, I must be doing something right, regardless of my diagnoses and trauma, to somehow have such a kind and resourceful support system! "

Thank you for reading so far. Without much income, even a low cost of living needs some funds coming in to make it pencil out. I've worked with Joh on her budget and thank goodness her cost of living is very modest and she is in a good place to recover. I'm doing this fundraiser to help cover a few months of living expenses (About $1000/mo) and the purchase of a townie type bike for transportation. Could you contribute today? Any amount helps. Thanks again!