Help Af fight MS and cope with loss

Update 6/17
 
Thank you all so much for your previous support. Unfortunately, need is greater than ever since Af has had to put their apprenticeship on hold because of their illness, threats to their safety while commuting, and need for steady income, while also grieving the sudden passing of their girlfriend Raine. Meeting the goal for this fundraiser would make a huge difference and is all we can hope for in a system that provides no support or safety net to marginalized disabled people, and no relief from capitalism amid the overwhelming collective greif, loss, and stress of the last few years. They’re so tired of asking for help, and it breaks my heart to watch someone I love worry about making rent and affording cat food when everyday life is hell. Please share with anyone you can. The love and support of their community means everything right now, thank you for reading.
 
They’re also still selling tons of paintings and prints, highlighted at https://www.instagram.com/tattstoledo/

Or venmo them directly @tattstoledo

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If you’re lucky enough to know Af, you already know they’re a total gem, a passionate tattooer, and a true friend- and you may also know that they’ve been working incredibly hard to take care of their health and persevere in tattooing since being diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in April 2020.

 

Since their first flare where they lost motor function and feeling in their entire right side, they’ve been stronger, braver, and more resilient than anyone should have to be, working to regain mobility and motor skills, facing hospitalizations alone and navigating subsequent care in the depths of Covid, and pushing through daily pain and fatigue to survive, adapt, and live their life.

 

On top of the challenges of living with a chronic autoimmune disease while apprenticing full-time, over the last few months they have dealt with a surgery, having covid, and a knee injury, putting them out of work for many weeks and adding on transportation and other costs. This goal would help them financially recover, catch up on basic expenses, and give them a cushion so they can focus on their health and career without constant money stress and overexertion just to survive.

Flares are inevitable, and something to fall back on next time would mean a faster and easier recovery. Overwork and injury/burnout can quickly become a vicious cycle, and with an illness like MS that can have lasting consequences.

 

In their words, “don’t worry, I’m hard to kill”- but let’s show them the love that they show us, and make it a little easier to live. We know that so many people are facing hardship and struggling to get by right now, and any help is so appreciated.

They are also of course always booking tattoos, piercings, and have tons of paintings and prints for sale at https://www.instagram.com/tattstoledo/

Also accepting contributions/bday gifts in the form of Swedish sleaze rocker triplets to do their bidding, a fridge full of semlor, or a cuddly pair of bone-crushing, robust, landlord-eating hyenas.