Bridging for Shante’s Healing Journey

Help me to take the next step in my healing journey from mold toxicity.

Two weeks ago I finally got in to see the functional medicine doctor that I’ve been waiting over six months to have an appointment with who is one of the top mold specialists in Minnesota. We went over my mycotoxin test results (still 10x above normal levels) and my ongoing symptoms (missing 8-15 days a month of work/life capacity from illness flares and fatigue) and on top of everything I am currently taking, he recommended a treatment protocol of anti-fungals that will help both with the mold colonization and also with the executive dysfunction and sensory sensitivity that I experience as an autistic person.

As I stabilize with this new protocol, it’s likely that I’ll experience die-off reactions and other body symptoms that will make daily life more unpredictable until my body is able to clear out the toxins. I experienced a taste of this last week when I started and then had to pause the protocol because I experienced intense hormonal disruption and had to add back an additional expensive supplement that I had been taking in the past for hormone balancing. During this time I had to postpone all my work with clients and group facilitation and as I continue with the protocol I'm realizing that my capacity to work is going to be more limited as I experience die-off reactions.

One of the things that I find most overwhelming during times of increased illness and stress is the marketing process for my business and so I’m also experiencing autistic burnout from the complexity of trying to grow my practice with so little support system and living so close to the wire in terms of financial resource right now.

During this time of chronic illness, I went from pretty much not being able to work at all in 2022-2023 to this year earning between $500-1200 a month from my facilitation business, but this is far under the amount I need to meet my basic expenses and this is further compromised by my capacity to work being made more unpredictable during this detox process.

I've been in a three year long appeal process for Social Security Disability and I am still in the process of finding a lawyer to take my case for my second appeal—multiple lawyers have refused to represent me because they say I am "too young" (I'll be 32 this month) and that I don't have enough mainstream medical evidence for my case because most of my treatments and testing have been through holistic and integrative medicine.

I have no savings and my only family support system right now is my mom who is already 20K in debt from supporting me through many years of this chronic illness journey and is incredibly financially stretched from continuing to help me pay rent and other living expenses each month.

I’ve been certified disabled by the state of Minnesota and am on a county waiver program that is reimbursing some of my medical expenses, but I have to pay out of pocket first and my ability to access services has been limited because of how low income I am right now and how restricted my ability to work is because of the ongoing unpredictable illness flares.

Because of this, I’m asking for financial support these next two months to subsidize my living and medical expenses throughout this treatment process.

Starting in January 2025, I am going to be beginning an online PhD program that will help to subsidize my living expenses through cost of attendance loans, and so part of calling in additional support these next two months to complete this treatment protocol is in hopes to get though the worst of the die-off reactions before I start my studies.

My work in the world is to support visionary creative projects and attunement to neurodivergence and sensitivity as a form of ritual consciousness to bring us into deeper ecosystemic relationality. You can learn more about my practice and subscribe for updates at: earthpoetedgeweaver.substack.com

As a way of giving back during the time of this fundraiser, I'll be offering two months access to my Ecosystem Spoons course for free for anyone who would like additional support with animist somatic resourcing during these times of collective complexity.

Deep gratitude for your support and witnessing of my journey.

And solidarity for the road ahead.

Shante'