My name is April, and for those of you who know me, you know I had an abusive childhood.

To make a long story short, my mother broke my nose half a dozen times from the age of 6 to 16. Because of this, I had a severely deviated septum that completely obstructed my airways and caused chronic sinus issues, migraines, breathing difficulties and extreme lethargy. I entered the public health system for this issue in 2016 and finally got the call for surgery on Feb 23rd. I was only given one weeks notice, and have now had the surgery, which was much more invasive than they initially anticipated. There was a fracture through my septum that tissue had grown through, and my septum had been dislocated from my nasal bone for most of my life, meaning what was supposed to be only a septoplasty turned into a septorhinoplasty. My inferior and anterior turbinates also had to be removed.

Because I was only given a weeks notice of the surgery, I had no opportunity to set aside funds nor accrue any leave through my new employer, as I only started working there 7 weeks prior. I am grateful that they were understanding of the time off I need. I only took one week off but have been advised that I should take at least 2 weeks off.

Aside from the unpaid time off, this has also brought a resurgence of cPTSD, the pain is a reminder of the abuse that got me here. I’d really love to be able to get some therapy.

The amount I am seeking to raise should cover 1 - 2 weeks off work and a few sessions with a therapist to work through the cPTSD flare.

Thank you for all who have taken the time to read and I apologise if this has been triggering for anyone.