Support MS Warrior Valéria Souza After STL Tornado

Hey, my name is Valéria Souza, and I live and own a home in The Greater Ville neighborhood of St. Louis City, Missouri.

On Friday, 5/16/2025, our city --- and in particular this community --- were hit by a confirmed EF3 tornado at approximately 14:45H CDT. Although my home is, amazingly and thankfully, unscathed, we have been without power since the time of the tornado, with no ETA for restoration of power due to the extent of damage in our community.

The lack of power has impacted me financially in two significant ways:

1.) Because I have Multiple Sclerosis (diagnosed in July 2007), I take a biologic (Kesimpta, also known as Ofetumumab) to manage my illness. This medication must remain refrigerated at all times. It is unclear if insurance will replace this medication if not kept refrigerated, and it is prohibitively expensive to replace if insurance refuses to do so. I will also note that our insurance company is United Health Care, so --- you do the math.... In order to protect the medication, I put a generator ($1,088.79) on a credit card to keep our fridge running during this prolonged power outage.

2.) I am not able to work this week, likely losing 1 full week's pay due to lack of power and Internet service in my area. This means I will lose 1 full paycheck ( = $869.95 total after taxes and deductions). I work in tech, helping to train A.I., and my job requires that I have power for a laptop as well as a stable Internet connection, which I currently do not have. I started this job on 3/10/25 and have been working there less than 90 days, meaning I do not have access to any PTO yet.

I am fundraising with a goal of $2,000 to cover the cost of the generator ( = pay off the debt accrued on my card) + cover the 1 week's lost pay. This is what any funds raised will be used for: 1.) Paying off the credit card debt associated with the generator purchase, and 2.) Replacing my 1 week's worth of lost wages, i.e. - money that normally covers my day to day living expenses like food, housing, & utilities.

All photos below were taken by me and depict actual damage to electrical infrastructure in my neighborhood, in the immediate vicinity of my home. Screenshots are also included to corroborate: MS diagnosis and medication; paystub information; generator cost; information from Ameren about the power outages, etc. here. Thank you.

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Required Specific Information for GoFundMe:

1. Who you are: Valéria Souza, a resident and homeowner of The Greater Ville in St. Louis City, Missouri. Originally from the Boston, Massachusetts area. Lived in St. Louis from 2013-2017, and moved back to stay in 2023.

2. Where you're from: Originally from the Boston, Massachusetts area. Residing permanently in St. Louis City, Missouri since 2023. I own a home here in The Greater Ville.

3. Your relationship to the parties you're raising funds for: Self

4. How the funds will be spent (be specific as possible): 1.) To pay off the $1,088.79 in credit card debt incurred for the necessary purchase of a generator to provide power to my fridge to preserve my Multiple Sclerosis medication during this prolonged power outage caused by the EF3 tornado that struck the community on 5/16/25 @ 14:45H CDT and 2.) To cover one (1) week's worth of lost pay, as I am not able to perform my job without a reliable power supply as well as a reliable Internet connection. I normally get paid $869.95 per week after taxes and other standard paycheck deductions.