Emergency Relocation
Donation protected
UPDATE!
We hit the goal! I honestly didn't expect to, and I'm touched to know there are so many great readers and friends out there. Thank you all SO much.
I got some of the specs wrong on the wheelchair for Sylv - she needs a Tilite Aero Z, not Aero R. The R series sticks out more in front, making it harder for her to get close enough to hold onto the back of my chair so I can pull her. The difference is about $500, so we're still humbly accepting donations. I don't want to raise the goal (something you apparently can actually do) and seem greedy, so please just know that any donations over the goal ARE helping us get her chair. After that, it'll go to household necessities, small appliances and such.
Thank you all again! You've really made a difference in our lives!
INTRODUCTION
I'm disabled comic book creator Larime Taylor, and my disabled wife Sylv and I need to relocate to be closer to family to help with our care. We currently live in the inland desert of California and we're trying to move to Las Vegas where my family lives. We've been living below the poverty line for 14 years now, and while my recently published comic book series is helping a bit, it's an indie book and sales are low.
Cost of living in Vegas is MUCH cheaper, we'd have immediate family there to help us out with our daily needs, and as a caricature artist I'd have lots of new opportunities in a city full of events and conventions. We just need help getting there. I'm asking for your help in changing our lives and our future.
Here's a bit of a breakdown of what the money will go to.
EXPENSES
New back-supporting wheelchair for my wife so she can be able to move - $2500. She has been bed-bound for several years and cannot walk. Sitting up for extended periods causes extreme pain. A wheelchair that can support her back and give her mobility once again will mean she can have a life again.
Clean-up and move-in preparation - $500. We'll need help clearing and cleaning out our current home so the landlord can rent or sell it, and my wife's health requires very extensive and specific cleaning and prep work on a new place before she can move in. She has systemic Lupus with chemical sensitivities, making most cleaners, new paints, etc., toxic to her.
Moving costs - $3000. This includes U-Haul, first-and-last months' rent, utility deposits, and so on. Being able to move with these costs already covered means we can build a cushion and finally climb out of poverty.
ABOUT US
I was born with a birth defect called Arthrogryposis that leaves me with little use of my arms and legs. I'm in a wheelchair and draw with my mouth. I've been living on Social Security since January of 2000. In November of 2013, Top Cow started publishing my comic book series A VOICE IN THE DARK, which I write, draw, tone and letter by mouth. It's been a critical hit and has a cult following, but it's not making a lot of money yet. I also do caricatures and portraits by commission.
My wife Sylv is French Canadian, and her health crashed shortly after we got married, becoming house-bound in late 1999 and eventually bed-bound in 2011. She receives NO benefits and I get no extra benefits for her. I've been supporting her on what little I get, and as she cannot travel too far (getting her to Vegas will be a challenge as it is) going back to Canada for treatment has never been an option. Again, she has never received any benefits of any kind in the entire time we've been married.
She is a disabled artist herself, and paints the covers of my comic.
WHY NO REWARDS?
We need to move as soon as possible, and the time and resources required to draw rewards and ship them will not only eat into that, it will make donations less effective by adding additional costs. To be clear, we are asking for help via donations. Our sincerest gratitude and humble thanks are all we have to offer at this time. I will be auctioning off convention sketches by other comics creators in the days to come as an additional source of revenue for the move, so you might want to follow me on Twitter (@xLarimex) for those if you're looking to donate for a tangible reward.
WISH LIST
In addition to the above, I'm adding a wishlist for those interested in helping us with other things.
Sylv's Wheelchair - $1675. If we can get to $6.5k, I'll be able to cover most of the chair she really needs a Tilite Aero Z. It's an ultralight chair making it easier to push, has angled wheels to lower the center of gravity and make it hard to flip over, and is custom-fitted.
Wacom Cintiq 22HD - $2000. Wacom donated me the one I use now to make the comic, which you can see me drawing on in my photo at the top of this page, but it's now 5 years old and on its last legs. I can't afford a new one and they've declined to replace it.
Appliances - Basic household appliances are badly needed. Contact me for details.
We hit the goal! I honestly didn't expect to, and I'm touched to know there are so many great readers and friends out there. Thank you all SO much.
I got some of the specs wrong on the wheelchair for Sylv - she needs a Tilite Aero Z, not Aero R. The R series sticks out more in front, making it harder for her to get close enough to hold onto the back of my chair so I can pull her. The difference is about $500, so we're still humbly accepting donations. I don't want to raise the goal (something you apparently can actually do) and seem greedy, so please just know that any donations over the goal ARE helping us get her chair. After that, it'll go to household necessities, small appliances and such.
Thank you all again! You've really made a difference in our lives!
INTRODUCTION
I'm disabled comic book creator Larime Taylor, and my disabled wife Sylv and I need to relocate to be closer to family to help with our care. We currently live in the inland desert of California and we're trying to move to Las Vegas where my family lives. We've been living below the poverty line for 14 years now, and while my recently published comic book series is helping a bit, it's an indie book and sales are low.
Cost of living in Vegas is MUCH cheaper, we'd have immediate family there to help us out with our daily needs, and as a caricature artist I'd have lots of new opportunities in a city full of events and conventions. We just need help getting there. I'm asking for your help in changing our lives and our future.
Here's a bit of a breakdown of what the money will go to.
EXPENSES
New back-supporting wheelchair for my wife so she can be able to move - $2500. She has been bed-bound for several years and cannot walk. Sitting up for extended periods causes extreme pain. A wheelchair that can support her back and give her mobility once again will mean she can have a life again.
Clean-up and move-in preparation - $500. We'll need help clearing and cleaning out our current home so the landlord can rent or sell it, and my wife's health requires very extensive and specific cleaning and prep work on a new place before she can move in. She has systemic Lupus with chemical sensitivities, making most cleaners, new paints, etc., toxic to her.
Moving costs - $3000. This includes U-Haul, first-and-last months' rent, utility deposits, and so on. Being able to move with these costs already covered means we can build a cushion and finally climb out of poverty.
ABOUT US
I was born with a birth defect called Arthrogryposis that leaves me with little use of my arms and legs. I'm in a wheelchair and draw with my mouth. I've been living on Social Security since January of 2000. In November of 2013, Top Cow started publishing my comic book series A VOICE IN THE DARK, which I write, draw, tone and letter by mouth. It's been a critical hit and has a cult following, but it's not making a lot of money yet. I also do caricatures and portraits by commission.
My wife Sylv is French Canadian, and her health crashed shortly after we got married, becoming house-bound in late 1999 and eventually bed-bound in 2011. She receives NO benefits and I get no extra benefits for her. I've been supporting her on what little I get, and as she cannot travel too far (getting her to Vegas will be a challenge as it is) going back to Canada for treatment has never been an option. Again, she has never received any benefits of any kind in the entire time we've been married.
She is a disabled artist herself, and paints the covers of my comic.
WHY NO REWARDS?
We need to move as soon as possible, and the time and resources required to draw rewards and ship them will not only eat into that, it will make donations less effective by adding additional costs. To be clear, we are asking for help via donations. Our sincerest gratitude and humble thanks are all we have to offer at this time. I will be auctioning off convention sketches by other comics creators in the days to come as an additional source of revenue for the move, so you might want to follow me on Twitter (@xLarimex) for those if you're looking to donate for a tangible reward.
WISH LIST
In addition to the above, I'm adding a wishlist for those interested in helping us with other things.
Sylv's Wheelchair - $1675. If we can get to $6.5k, I'll be able to cover most of the chair she really needs a Tilite Aero Z. It's an ultralight chair making it easier to push, has angled wheels to lower the center of gravity and make it hard to flip over, and is custom-fitted.
Wacom Cintiq 22HD - $2000. Wacom donated me the one I use now to make the comic, which you can see me drawing on in my photo at the top of this page, but it's now 5 years old and on its last legs. I can't afford a new one and they've declined to replace it.
Appliances - Basic household appliances are badly needed. Contact me for details.
Organizer
Larime Taylor
Organizer
San Jacinto, CA