Help Mee Ok Recover from the Crappiest Year Ever
Donation protected
I've set up this fundraiser on behalf of my very dearest friend, Mee Ok.
When you've lived a life like hers, the title of "Crappiest Year Ever" says a lot, and so far in 2022 Mee Ok has been tested like you would not believe. First, she lost two dear friends without warning in February. Then in March she experienced a severe flood in her apartment that damaged most of her furniture and other belongings with boiler-hot, toxic chemical water. What wasn't damaged by the water was ruined by building management's reckless attempts to clean up the damage. She has been unable to seek legal recourse to address the losses from the flood (which HUD/section 8 refuses to take responsibility for) because she neither has the funds to launch an expensive lawsuit, nor has she been able to retain pro bono legal counsel with COVID making evictions a priority.
This caused major health issues aside from her other health issues, and she has narrowly avoided the emergency room twice in the past few weeks alone. She has not been able to write for over two months due to overwhelming situation that has befallen her. Along with this she has been diagnosed with anemia from malnutrition, had a botched dental procedure that left her unable to eat or talk for nearly a week, suffered a dog bite on her hand already barely operable from the scleroderma, and her endometriosis has returned with a vengeance, leaving her bedridden and unable to eat for nearly a week every month because of the pain.
Aside from this she has lost her temporary rental and grocery assistance (including grocery delivery) that had made her life slightly easier, particularly as she is not able to move freely in the world as a result of her condition, and she has been dealing with the incompetence of her mother's nursing home in rural Arkansas, trying to keep her safe during the pandemic. Further, Mee Ok is often unable to reach her mother over the phone or video chat due to the incompetence of the staff, leading to further stress and anxiety regarding her mother's welfare.
Mee Ok is trying to get back to the healers who have helped her so much in the past - Shipibo maestros and maestras who work with the life giving medicine ayahuasca. She has already booked her retreat in order to be able to access the very expensive and precious medicine with the help of Gabor Maté, but she still needs help funding all of the things that go along with travel – hotel and transportation. She also could really use any extra funds you can give to help her recover from the flood and other devastating events of 2022, which have all cost thousands of dollars that she does not have. While she has been her usual resourceful self in replacing the things she can't live without, there are still many other items that still need to be purchased.
It's been a difficult year: Mee Ok has been unable to write for months (not even this GoFundMe) as she has been struggling against a vicious undertow of profound hopelessness and despair. While she has an excellent support network and many wonderful friends, she needs more help. If you are able, please help our friend get back to being the wildly intelligent, devastatingly caustic, and overwhelmingly talented person she is.
When you've lived a life like hers, the title of "Crappiest Year Ever" says a lot, and so far in 2022 Mee Ok has been tested like you would not believe. First, she lost two dear friends without warning in February. Then in March she experienced a severe flood in her apartment that damaged most of her furniture and other belongings with boiler-hot, toxic chemical water. What wasn't damaged by the water was ruined by building management's reckless attempts to clean up the damage. She has been unable to seek legal recourse to address the losses from the flood (which HUD/section 8 refuses to take responsibility for) because she neither has the funds to launch an expensive lawsuit, nor has she been able to retain pro bono legal counsel with COVID making evictions a priority.
This caused major health issues aside from her other health issues, and she has narrowly avoided the emergency room twice in the past few weeks alone. She has not been able to write for over two months due to overwhelming situation that has befallen her. Along with this she has been diagnosed with anemia from malnutrition, had a botched dental procedure that left her unable to eat or talk for nearly a week, suffered a dog bite on her hand already barely operable from the scleroderma, and her endometriosis has returned with a vengeance, leaving her bedridden and unable to eat for nearly a week every month because of the pain.
Aside from this she has lost her temporary rental and grocery assistance (including grocery delivery) that had made her life slightly easier, particularly as she is not able to move freely in the world as a result of her condition, and she has been dealing with the incompetence of her mother's nursing home in rural Arkansas, trying to keep her safe during the pandemic. Further, Mee Ok is often unable to reach her mother over the phone or video chat due to the incompetence of the staff, leading to further stress and anxiety regarding her mother's welfare.
Mee Ok is trying to get back to the healers who have helped her so much in the past - Shipibo maestros and maestras who work with the life giving medicine ayahuasca. She has already booked her retreat in order to be able to access the very expensive and precious medicine with the help of Gabor Maté, but she still needs help funding all of the things that go along with travel – hotel and transportation. She also could really use any extra funds you can give to help her recover from the flood and other devastating events of 2022, which have all cost thousands of dollars that she does not have. While she has been her usual resourceful self in replacing the things she can't live without, there are still many other items that still need to be purchased.
It's been a difficult year: Mee Ok has been unable to write for months (not even this GoFundMe) as she has been struggling against a vicious undertow of profound hopelessness and despair. While she has an excellent support network and many wonderful friends, she needs more help. If you are able, please help our friend get back to being the wildly intelligent, devastatingly caustic, and overwhelmingly talented person she is.
Organizer and beneficiary
Lisa Ostrom
Organizer
Brookline, MA
Mee Ok Icaro
Beneficiary