Jonathan Buckley

More than 4 years ago, shortly after graduating college, I contracted COVID-19. The infection was not severe and I expected a normal recovery. Unfortunately, my health never returned and has continued to decline to a severe state, worsening each year. I am now 100% housebound and am 90% bedbound. This means I am unable to safely leave the house and I must lie in bed approximately 90% of my day to avoid further deterioration of my condition. Most of this time must be spent in a low-stimulation environment—I stay in a darkened room because light, sound, and cognitive stimulation trigger worsening of my neurological symptoms. Even a 20-minute virtual doctor appointment causes a multi-day crash. I have an official diagnosis of Long COVID and am currently in the process of being diagnosed with several other severe neuro-immune conditions that have greatly limited my ability to function. ​The Situation I moved to Arizona with my brother in 2023, but he had to move back home a year later. Since then, I have been managing on my own, but my health has continued to decline. I now struggle with basic daily tasks like mail, trash, and cleaning. I rely on neighbors to help with these chores. During bad flare-ups, I’m sometimes forced to choose between bathing or eating because I'm unable to do both. ​I’ve realized that I can no longer safely live without nearby support. I need to move to Pittsburgh to be near my family to get reliable support. Because of my illness, I am unable to work enough to cover my monthly expenses. I'm asking for your support to make this move safely. ​The Logistics Moving 2,100+ miles is a massive undertaking for someone with my condition. I experience Post-Exertional Neuroimmune Exhaustion (PENE), which means even small amounts of activity can trigger a neuroimmune crash that lasts for weeks or months. Sometimes, these events are unrecoverable. ​While I can sit up for short periods to cook or eat, I cannot sit upright in a car or plane for the 30+ hours required to get across the country. The noise, vibration, and physical strain would cause a severe, long-term (or permanent) deterioration of my health. Additionally, I have severe food sensitivities that require extremely strict dietary protocols. I have only two safe foods that must be sourced and shipped from out-of-state, then handled and cooked properly. I cannot tolerate any deviations without triggering immune system reactions that last weeks or months. During the transport, maintaining these protocols will be virtually impossible, which means I'll need to abstain from food entirely during the trip. This adds another significant layer of medical risk to the trip. ​The only medically low-risk option is non-emergency medical transport. This involves a specialized vehicle where I can remain lying flat on a stretcher for the entire trip, with multiple trained professionals to help me manage the journey. ​The Cost The quote for this bed-to-bed transport is $11,950. Estimated GFM fees: $478 Total to be raised: $12,428 This only covers my medical transportation. If the goal is exceeded, additional funds will be allocated towards my other moving expenses. ​I am asking for your help to get me home safely. This move is about finding a sustainable way to live with this illness and giving myself the best chance at stability. Your donation doesn't just help me move. It directly prevents long-term worsening of my condition. ​Thank you for your support and for helping me get back to my family.

Daryna is a 28-year-old woman living in eastern Ukraine, bedbound with severe ME/CFS and myasthenia gravis, during ongoing war-related infrastructure attacks. Right now, massive blackouts caused by Russian strikes mean she has only ~5.5 hours of electricity per day, with individual outages lasting up to 9 hours. Heating does not work during these outages. As of the date of this posting, more power plants are being attacked. The daily electricity will likely be much lower than 5.5 hours in the near future. Some cities get 1.5-2h and Daryna's city (Dnipro) may experience this now. Colder weather is coming too. Indoor temperatures drop to 12°C (54°F) or lower. Outside temperatures reach -10°C to -15°C (5–14°F). Because of her illness, Daryna’s body cannot generate heat. Wearing more layers does not help. She needs external heat to survive. She is currently waking up shaking from cold — early signs of hypothermia — with severe pain, sleep deprivation, headaches, throat pain from breathing frozen air, and crashes that can last weeks. Why current equipment isn’t enough Her heated blanket is too small, leaving cold drafts, and auto-shuts off overnight. Her current EcoFlow battery cannot power a larger blanket through 9-hour outages. Making hot water bottles repeatedly is exhausting and unsafe with her limited energy. What this fundraiser is for We are raising funds for essential survival equipment: Additional EcoFlow battery — 40,000 UAH (~$926) Needed to run a proper heated blanket continuously through long outages. Warmer, larger heated blanket — 7,700 UAH (~$180) Proper size and materials to provide real, consistent warmth. Estimated payment processing fees — $94 Total needed: ~$1,200 This equipment will provide continuous heat during blackouts, helping prevent hypothermia and further medical deterioration. Donation links are in Daryna’s bio: @reakiro Thank you for helping keep Daryna alive and warm during this winter. Fund Use & Distribution (Transparency) Organizer: Jonathan Buckley Beneficiary: Daryna Ilina Location of beneficiary: Eastern Ukraine All funds raised through this campaign will be used exclusively to purchase essential survival equipment for Daryna, specifically: One additional EcoFlow battery One larger, higher-quality heated blanket Funds will be transferred directly to Daryna or used by the organizer to purchase the listed equipment on her behalf, depending on availability and safety at the time of purchase. No funds will be used for organizational overhead, salaries, or unrelated expenses. This is a one-time, item-specific emergency fundraiser. If circumstances change (e.g., item availability), funds will still be used solely for equivalent survival equipment providing heat during power outages.