Amanda K

I’m getting older and have hypermobile Ehlers Danlos Syndrome. This means that my connective tissue (which is nearly all the tissue in my body) is extra stretchy and doesn’t always hold everything in place like it should. Take my knees, for example. If I turn or basically do anything beyond breathing, my kneecaps can and will pop out of place and then pop back in. This ticks off the tendons that allowed it to happen in the first place and I end up limping around for a few days. My hips have begun to perform the same excruciating trick. Which is even worse. I have a rollator walker, but that only helps after the fact. I also have MCAS (Mast Cell Activation Syndrome) which means my mast cells act as if they’re on steroids (which I’m/they’re not) and actively in “‘roid rage” going around and beating up anything that they perceive as the enemy. This means I have so many food allergies that I’m down to animal proteins, most dairy, and some veggies. No fresh fruit, no grains, no nightshades (I miss fries so much), and some new ones I’m not 100% sure of yet. MCAS also affects way more than diet. (I’ll add a diagram that shows some of the systemic issues.) All of this affects my health and ability to function. Going out to run errands is a huge affair with being on transit for over an hour each way, and it all exhausts me. It takes hours to run a handful of errands that, 20 years ago, would have been a blip on my energy levels. so, to conserve more energy, I want to get a compact mobility scooter or compact electric wheelchair. I also live in the PNW of the US. It rains a lot here. So waterproof is always a bonus. I found a company that makes a lightweight electric wheelchair that is waterproof. I’m asking for help. I am ambulatory, so I do walk around at home (houseless but staying with a friend) and want to get a little more active with learning Pilates. Need money for some sessions with a teacher as well, but that’s secondary. https://www.foldandgowheelchairs.com/product/magnesium-electric-wheelchair-purple/ any help toward getting this chair is appreciated. Thank you!

I’m Amanda. I live in a shelter that doesn’t have the best public transportation close by. I’m disabled, which means the walk to and from the bus stop is hard on my body. I’ve also been diagnosed with MCAS, which means I need to restrict my diet even more than I have been (I have bad reactions to nightshade veggies, most grains, and some fresh fruits). I have to go to a low histamine diet, yet still restrict myself from the foods I’ve already established as reactive. This means I can’t eat 99% of the food they serve here. No rice, no peppers, no potatoes or tomatoes, no pasta. I need to be able to cook for myself. I have the needed tools, but I’m on EBT, which has been cut off across the country due to it being used as a bargaining chip by the Republicans to defund the ACA. Which I also rely on. I have worked, but I struggle to even get interviews for the work I am able to do. I’m asking for funds for two things: food money so I can get my histamine levels under control; and a seated two or three wheeled scooter so I can go take care of things outside of the hours of operation for our transit here. To get me to the MAX station so I can be more independent again.