Help Julien with Emergency Recovery and Expenses

Hi friends! My name is Umeko Motoyoshi, and I'm asking you to help me and my loving partner, Julien Langevin. Since February, Julien's been hospitalized 4 times and rendered totally unable to work.

This began when Julien's insurance stopped covering their $5000 bipolar meds. Julien was forced to go off of the meds that had kept them stable for 2 years. Now they are in the process of re-stabilizing on new bipolar meds. Julien has been in and out of psychosis for months now, struggling greatly and unable to work.

Through it all, Julien has been a total champ. They are fighting hard every day for their mental health and to be the best partner they can be. Even when they can barely function, Julien still tries to take out the trash, do the dishes, and even make me a cappucino. Julien is the sweetest partner and person and they just want to get back to their normal life.

Since returning from their third hospitalization, Julien is finally out of psychosis. Because psychosis causes brain damage, Julien lost a lot of functioning that they must now slowly rebuild. They are continuing to work with a medical team to monitor their progress and medications. It will be several months before they will be able to work again without risking a relapse into their illness.

For much of this year, I've needed to work only part-time so I can care for Julien. We're going through a particularly rough period and need your support to cover bills and lost wages.

If you don't know Julien, they tirelessly advocate for trans workers and other marginalized people in the coffee industry and beyond. Julien is the 2022 United States Cup Tasters champion. They've used their platform to advocate for trans coffee workers and destigmatize mental health. You can read more about Julien here and here, or listen to their story here and here.

What's going on: Julien is currently developing their own business called Tomato Coffee Class, providing coffee education that is accessible and financially available to all. They are in crisis, grappling with something beyond anyone's control, and need support as they work through this difficult time.

Julien has been unable to work due to being hospitalized and in outpatient treatment since February. Julien is missing months of work, while saddled with substantial medical expenses.

During this time, I've provided 24-hour support and caregiving, and we're behind on bills. This makes things even more precarious for us: we're trying to focus on Julien's wellbeing—the thing that matters the most—while the expenses piling up threatens that journey.

If you don't know me (Umeko), I've worked in coffee for the last 15 years. I'm nonbinary, mixed race, disabled, neurodivergent, and a proud gaysian. Over the previous three years, I built Umeshiso from a small project I used to heal myself to a successful business dedicated to helping others in coffee feel welcome and make the future a little brighter (and a little gayer). I also created Get Psyched, a nonprofit initiative that helps coffee workers to access psychiatry.

Julien is getting the care they need, but the costs are piling up because they are unable to work. I have put my work on hold to care for Julien for the past 6 weeks, and I'm struggling to catch up. We're asking for any and all support from our community to weather this storm—more than anything, Julien wants to get the care they need so they can get on with their life, launch Tomato Coffee Class, and be gay.

There's so much happening in the coffee community right now. I'm asking if you've ever felt inspired, supported, or seen by either of us to take some form of action, be it:

• Donating a few dollars to support us through this time

• Sharing our Go Fund Me on your social media accounts

• Telling someone you know about this page

Community is everything to both of us: Julien is driven to make educational resources and information accessible to all, and the goal of Umeshiso is to help people who've felt overlooked and create tools that are a visual reminder that everyone deserves a seat at the table.

This is why we're turning to our community to ask for help. We fundamentally believe in the power of people showing up for their friends, community members, and loved ones, and both our jobs operate under the belief that we must put people before profit.

Please do not feel discouraged if you cannot contribute monetarily or if you can only lend a few bucks: all contributions will make this difficult moment easier for us, and sharing this campaign is often more powerful than you'd think. You never know who will see this page and who could help make a big difference.

We love you all so much, and we're grateful for whatever support you can provide.