Update 6/18/2017:
[Becca updating on behalf of Cathy]
Hi all,
Thank you so much to everyone who generously donated to this campaign! You literally saved Cathy's life!
This crisis is over for now. I was going to disable donations but I didn't really want to remove any avenue to help Cathy out, so will leave the campaign active and update the main fundraiser. Cathy still does need help with safe food, though.
Please check out and share her food fundraiser: https://www.gofundme.com/savecathy
Thanks so much. Cathy is so touched by all your support, help, love, and prayers, and is very grateful for every contribution.
------------------------------------------------------------------
Written by Becca on behalf of Cathy:
Due to her SEVERE chemical sensitivities, Cathy is having anaphylaxis to the water coming from her taps, even after it goes through her whole-house water filter.
We already had a very successful fundraiser to get her started on some safe bottled water, and many people contributed in other wonderful ways such as making store runs to pick up the water and bring it to her, helping to spread the word online and in person, and offering their prayers. Cathy is so very grateful for the outpouring of support she has received.
Unfortunately, as I suspected, finding a water filter system that is safe for her severe latex allergy as well as other chemical sensitivities is proving difficult and taking quite some time. Adhesives, gaskets, plastics, and spigots are just a few components that can be made with latex or cross contaminated with it, and her reactivity is so severe that even minute amounts of latex in her home from a cross contaminated item will cause her airborne anaphylaxis.
Not only that, but her daily water needs are far more than we expected. Cathy's inflammation is so high that she needs to drink a LOT of water to stay hydrated. On top of that, there are just a lot more "incidental" uses of water than you'd expect when you react this severely to just touching or breathing the water coming from your taps.
This is what even touching the water is doing to her hands. Drinking or bathing in it isn't an option.
To buy some more time, I am trying to fundraise to buy one more month of bottled water for her to give her time to find a filter that is safe. I hope it doesn't take a month, but I really think it might.
The only safe water she has currently is Mountain Valley Spring Water in a glass bottle. Plastic bottles are not an option and Voss glass bottles may have latex in the lid. This is $2.39 per liter bottle at Sprouts, and due to chronic dehydration and needing to use the water for cooking, rinsing dishes, and very very limited hygeine, she needs 24 bottles per day, or about 6.25 gallons. (I personally use about 4 gallons per day just on drinking, cooking, and dishes without having high water needs due to inflammation and without using it for hygiene.)
So for a month's worth of water she needs 60 cases. With a 10% case discount per every 12 bottles, that is $25.81 per case.
60 cases * $25.81 per case = $1548.60
Thank you! Any contribution helps!
Cathy specifically asked me to say that she will take any kind of support that you can offer, including prayers!
The other fundraiser: https://www.gofundme.com/savecathy
Previous water fundraiser:
