We (Karen, Christie, Josanna, Seraphina & Heather) are asking for your help on behalf of our friend Jayne, a writer, steampunk, and disability advocate who has been a wheelchair user and oxygen-dependent for 20 years. All that time she’s been active in writing: novels, short stories, articles, presenting, programming, and mentoring. She’s the co-creator of the worldwide steampunk sport of Parasol Dueling (see Madame Saffron Hemlock's Parasol Duelling League for Steampunk Ladies).

But, as some of you know, the past couple of years have been hard for her due to drastic reduction in lung capacity.

This summer she needs to attend physiotherapy regularly to try to regain some muscle conditioning and improve lung function. But she can’t leave home without portable oxygen, which her insurance won’t pay for (it pays for physiotherapy but that’s no help if she can’t go). She also needs to replace her overnight breathing equipment. Without

those two machines, she can’t reliably keep her blood oxygen above 85%, let alone stand up or work her muscles or her brain properly.

The two machines together cost about $7,000 and insurance will only cover up to $2000 of that. So we hope to raise $5,000 to cover the costs and get her strong enough again to not only go to physiotherapy but to sometimes go out in public and be sociable or give author talks again.

Thanks for donating and/or sharing.

Friends of Jayne