Dear fam, friends, community, and everyone else who loves Rachel:

Our beloved Rachel has found herself on a wild health adventure. In early April she found a lump in her armpit, and was diagnosed with recurrence of the breast cancer she survived in 2009. Yes, 2009! This comes as quite a shock, as she has been cancer-free (not to mention breast-free) for 17 years—living well, healthy and thriving. Whether you know her as a longtime force in the Pacific Northwest queer/punk music scene, as the visionary wizard behind hyperlocal favorite bubbly Magic Kombucha, or just from seeing her unmistakable figure strutting around town, one thing we can say for sure is that Rachel has been pretty unstoppable.

The hard fact is that Rachel has a rough and scary road ahead. Surgery on June 19 will remove the lump and all lymph nodes in the armpit area (axillary lymph node dissection). There may be chemotherapy, to be determined after surgery. Recovery will be months long at minimum and the prognosis is unclear. So much is unknown, so much is at stake… this is the nature of cancer.

We are asking Rachel’s larger community to come together and help her feel held and supported through this time.

Rachel is a self-employed small business owner, artist and musician. Her particular situation does not qualify for any state disability. Though social services are on shaky ground under the current administration, we are hoping Medicaid will cover basic surgery and treatment costs. This is a blessing! However, Rachel’s main job centers lifting and hoisting 5-gallon jugs and 30-40lb boxes, and she will be unable to work for an indeterminate amount of time.

Axillary lymph node dissection is an aggressive surgery, and recovery can range from 12 weeks to 12 months or more. Nerve pain, arm stiffness, and impaired range of motion can persist even longer. The anxiety this brings to anyone—especially a dedicated physical worker, longtime drummer, and compulsively active person—is devastating.

As a punk who has dedicated her life to music, art, and community healing, Rachel does not have much savings. She does not enjoy the privilege of generational wealth. Our hope is that this GoFundMe will raise enough funds for Rachel to rest and recover, to have time to take good care of herself, to pay for basic costs of living, to eat well—in short, to ease some small part of the immense financial burden that cancer brings to one’s life and reality. Our wish for Rachel is that money not be the greatest stressor during this time.

This fund would also help her be able to afford additional alternative healthcare, such as acupuncture, massage, bodywork, supplements and herbs alongside the more traditional western interventions. We all know these things do not come cheap.

Like many performers and artists, Rachel is a rather private person. It is not easy to reach out for help, so that's why we are reaching out for her.

No donation amount is too small—it all helps. Every cent makes a difference, for real.

Please spread the word and repost this on your social media. And if you have any feedback or ideas about other ways to raise money please message Tamala who is managing the GoFundMe.

Thank you for reading this, and for helping if you can. Now let’s do this!