Support Sami's Trip to GCX 2025 with her best friend Qwerty

Thank you SO SO MUCH for stopping by. Whether you end up donating or not, your support just clicking the link means the world to me. ♡ I have lots of info below to help answer any questions you may have.

→ TLDR: Raising funds to go to GCX (Community Gaming Expo) with my best friend from Australia because I haven’t traveled since 2017 or been around more than a handful of people in 5 years because of health risks. Asking the community for help because I cannot work also due to my health. Best friend coming so we can FINALLY meet and for support while there.

AMOUNT: $3500 USD

FUNDRAISING DEADLINE: June 24

EVENT DATE: July 24-27

DETAILED INFO BELOW: (1) The Goal; (2) My Story; (3) Incentives; (4) My Health and Precautions; (5) Details and Breakdown of Expenses; (6) Stipulations and What If; (7) Social Links

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• ✦ 1. THE GOAL ✦ •

I haven’t traveled since 2017 and haven’t hung out with more than a few people in the past 5 years because of my health. I want to make GCX (Community Gaming Expo) my “worth the risk” trip. And I so very badly want to FINALLY meet my best friend from Australia, TalkQwertyToMe (aka Qwerty or Rach). Since going is kind of a big deal in terms of my health and financially, and a once in a long time thing, I want her to come along as my other half and my support system.

I’m asking for $3500 to help cover all expenses for both me AND Qwerty. They include flights, hotel, ride share (to/from airport in Minneapolis and in Orlando), GCX passes, and food and drink for me. (I have detailed breakdown of each below.) Since my health is a major factor, and since I’ve spent very little time outside of my apartment and around people in years, it’s important to have somebody with me who I can trust without question and who knows me, which is why I WILL ONLY BE GOING IF SHE GOES WITH ME. And we can only go if we meet our goal. (Details on “what if” we don’t go also below.)

I know I’m asking for a lot, and I don’t know if it’s reasonable to ask or probable to raise the funds, but I really want to try. I need to try. And I think you’ll know why shortly.

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• ✦ 2. MY STORY ✦ •

I’ve always wanted to go to GCX, but due to my health, I haven’t been able to. As a matter of fact, because of my health, I haven’t been able to do much of anything since first getting sick in 2017, and then even more so when the pandemic hit in 2020.

You see, I have lupus, an autoimmune disease where my immune system can’t tell the difference between the healthy cells in my body and the bad ones, so it attacks indiscriminately. To help stop that from happening, I have to take multiple medications that suppress my immune system, which makes it easier to get diseases like COVID, which can drastically affect my health in a very negative way. So I’ve spent the last five years cooped up in my apartment, almost completely away from society. I haven’t traveled or spent time with friends or family except maybe four or five people who came to me, but even then, not for long. It was just me, my ex-husband, and our cats for years. That was until we separated last January, and I’ve been alone with the cats since. And because of my health, I can’t hold a job, which makes me alone, cooped up, and broke.

But to help get me through my isolation, I started streaming. And through streaming, I’ve built an incredible community and met an incredible amount of people from all over the world. The opportunity to connect and thrive socially over the distances helped me and changed me in many many ways over the years, but it was one particular connection that changed my life forever: Qwerty. (I call her Rach and she's practically my wife.) She’s my best friend who has been there for me through some of the worst life has thrown at me, and helped me not only survive the past year (divorce, dying cat, failing health, no income), but helped me to thrive in unimaginable ways. Sure it was my own strength, but it was Rach who helped me remember I had it to begin with.

GCX is going to be a BIG change. I haven’t been out around people in public, let alone massive crowds, in years. I’m going to have a lot of anxieties being in a new place with a lot of traffic and having a lot of interactions with people I’ve never met in person before. The stimulation and excitement will be overwhelming at times, which is why I want Rach there to help keep me grounded and mentally balanced. It’s also a safety thing, especially as women in a new city with a lot going on. We’ll keep each other safe and secure the whole weekend through.

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• ✦ 3. INCENTIVES ✦ •

Since we're asking our communities for help funding the trip, we want to share some of the experience with you! Closer to and during the event, we'll be posting short vlogs about our experiences getting prepared, meeting for the first time, doing the GCX thing, leaving, and our afterthoughts. I will most likely be posting them after the event on my YouTube channel.

Also, we are going to try to do some sort of "QwertyKat" multi-stream event to help include the community directly. Times and details currently unknown.

PLEASE NOTE

Only donations through this page will count toward the goal. Donations through our individual donation links (Streamlabs, KoFi, etc) and Twitch subs and bits will not go toward the goal. This is mostly for organization and logistical ease.

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• ✦ 4. MY HEALTH AND PRECAUTIONS ✦ •

Going to GCX would be so very good for me mentally and emotionally, which in turn will help my physical health. My doctor said it will always be a risk going out in public, and while he can’t say it’s okay for me to travel or attend events (it’s ultimately MY decision if it’s worth the risk), he said my mental health definitely matters too. The pandemic—and the risk of COVID—isn’t going away anytime soon, and being cooped up and away from people is detrimental to my wellbeing.

PRECAUTIONS:

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• ✦ 5. DETAILS AND BREAKDOWN OF EXPENSES ✦ •

**All amounts are ESTIMATES except GCX passes.**

>> FLIGHTS — $1950

>> HOTEL — $700

Universal Orlando Resort - Cabana Bay (GCX block)

*I already have a reservation for Thurs-Sun, but will be attempting to switch to Universal Adventura (GCX block) if something opens up. Same price.

>> GCX PASSES — $405

>> TRANSPORTATION — $160

>> FOOD AND DRINKS — $250

*only for Sami; does not include Qwerty*

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• ✦ 6. STIPULATIONS AND WHAT IF ✦ •

I do not want people to donate toward a specific expense*, and the amount you donate does not equate to how much time you’ll get with us or what events we will attend with you. IT ALSO DOES NOT GUARANTEE we will spend any time together IF you are sick in any way. It also does not mean you’ll get a hug. (Health reasons.)

We have a lot of people to see, many of whom are in different groups and run in different circles. I don’t want somebody to “tag along” who may not feel comfortable because I will feel like I need to tend to their comfort. I won’t be able to do that because I need to focus on tending to my own anxieties, and there will be a lot.

HOWEVER, we will make an effort to stop and say hi and chat for awhile. But I’d do that anyways, whether you donate or not.

*Some very generous people have already offered to use frequent flyer miles for flights or have us stay with them in an Airbnb for no cost. I’ve made the decision to not take these offers, as kind and sound as they may be because I (1) do not feel comfortable sharing my personal information required for flights, and (2) I want to stay on the convention grounds in case I need to slip away for awhile because of my physical or mental health.

***** WHAT IF’S ******

We don’t meet the goal:

We have money left over:

Conditions we will NOT go:

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• ✦ 7. SOCIAL LINKS ✦ •

Sami:

❉ Twitch (SamiKat)

❉ Twitter (SamiKatPlays)

❉ Bluesky (SamiKat)

❉ YouTube (SamiKat)

❉ TikTok (SamiKatPlays)

Qwerty:

❉ Twitch (TalkQwertyToMe_)

❉ Bluesky (TalkQwertyToMe)

❉ Instagram (TalkQwertyToMe_)

❉ [Qwerty is also on Twitter but no longer posts.]