If you’re reading this, thank you for taking the time to engage with this fundraiser.

My name is River and I am a trans, disabled, working class sw’er.

Chronic pain, limited mobility and fatigue severely impact my day-to-day life. My pain is caused by a range of issues, including paralysing headaches and migraines, a torn cartilage in my knee which I underwent surgery for, tendinitis in my hips, severe jaw pain/ TMD, shoulder tendon ruptures, large cysts in my wrists and herniated discs in my back. Fainting is a common symptom for me, an issue that stems from chronic fatigue, migraines and dangerously low blood pressure. Healthcare professionals believe that many of my physical health issues are connected and I am hoping for further diagnosis to better understand the root of these problems. The majority of my time is spent attending healthcare appointments and managing my symptoms. Being in a state of constant pain and lethargy which often leaves me bed bound contributes to my mental health challenges of complex PTSD, anxiety, depression and insomnia.

A sudden change in circumstances has forced me to stop working for an extended period, leaving me without a source of income at a critical time (when I need money most to recover from a current decline in health.)

Due to my ongoing and severe physical health issues, I am left with few options of finding a stable source of income that can work with my limited physical capacity.

My access to Universal Credit has been cut off and without it I am now unable to pay for:

- Food

- Rent

- Essential bills

- Transport to hospital appointments

- Healthcare that I have been forced to pay for privately due to lack of NHS funding and resources

- Paying off urgent debts that accrued whilst recovering from knee surgery

I am finding it incredibly stressful to try to scrape together enough money to pay for basic necessities and with rent day fast approaching, I’m at a crisis point.

Lacking any support from family, solidarity and mutual aid from my community becomes an invaluable life line. I am doing everything in my power to persevere but I can’t do it on my own.

Your kind donations will help me to stabilise my life for the next few months. It would mean everything to me to have the chance to heal my body and make me well-resourced enough to find my feet when I'm better.

Thank you,

River