Anya Sanz

Letter to My Community: A Plea for Safety and Rebirth To my friends, my sisters, and anyone with kindness in their heart, I am writing this with a heavy heart and a humble spirit. For the last two years, I have been living in a situation that is more than just a struggle—it has been a form of torture. I am a trans woman living with HIV, and right now, my home is the biggest threat to my health. I have decided to remain anonymous to protect myself from further harassment and mental anguish, but my story is painfully real. The reality of my home is heartbreaking. My apartment is constantly flooded, and this past February, I woke up at 3:00 AM to a foot of ice-cold water in my living room. The flooding is not a one-time event—it happens again and again. I have no working stove or refrigerator, so I can’t cook or store food. This means my fixed income is used up buying prepared meals at the bodega, which are not healthy or affordable. As someone living with HIV, not being able to eat nutritious meals puts my health at serious risk. My illness is not stable, and these conditions make it even more dangerous. On top of this, my apartment is infested with vermin and bacteria. The toxic environment is making me sicker, but I have nowhere else to go. I am isolated, relying on Wi-Fi for my phone, and every dollar I have goes toward trying to eat and survive. I am not looking for anything extra—I just want to be safe, healthy, and able to focus on my medical care. I am raising funds to relocate immediately to a safe, decent apartment where the landlord respects my humanity. I need to replace essentials like a working refrigerator and stove, and recover belongings lost to water damage. Most of all, I want to restore my dignity so I can look and feel like myself again. If you can find it in your heart to donate, every dollar goes directly toward my survival and my move. If you cannot give, please share this post. Your voice might reach the person who can help me find my way out of this. I just want to be safe. I just want to live.