Support Storí (clara) Parnell

These funds will support me in navigating disability, while also supporting a deaf + queer-run clinic that serves a gender-diverse community on both sides of the patient/practitioner dynamic.

Longer version:

Last winter the HVAC system on the first floor in our commercial building stopped working for four months. We were unable to use the space without heating, yet we were given no rent break from our landlord. We currently owe $12,000 in back rent from that time period. (We sought legal advice and we have no options here). When I was able to work we were managing to pay this off. I’m unfortunately now disabled and bed bound.

I am currently experiencing near daily anaphylactic shock and neurological disabilities, am homebound after multiple years of medical care. I haven’t been able to work reliably for 5 years now and may have even delayed my recovery by pushing myself back to work prematurely several times.

My business Open Hand Health is a deaf, queer, and non-binary owned business that’s run in a non-exploitative manner, a rare gem in our field. We are not just a clinic that provides gender and size-affirming care, we provide an equitable platform for gender-nonconforming practitioners to grow their own successful practices in a supportive and collaborative environment. Our success means sustained culturally competent care for gender-diverse communities and an affirming workplace for practitioners to be successful.