Help Tori Fight Cancer - Trans Lives Matter

Tori Best is a beautiful, 26-year-old woman with the most gentle soul. She is the last person who would ask for anything and the first person to offer support for someone in need. In May, Tori was diagnosed with stage 2B lung cancer. According to the American Cancer Society, the five-year survival rate for stage 2A lung cancer is about 60 percent, and for stage 2B, about 33 percent. She currently has three rapidly-growing tumors which have spread to her lymph nodes. Her symptoms include chest pain, weight loss, loss of appetite, shortness of breath, and coughing up blood.

 

Tori began her first round of chemotherapy on June 13th. Already, the mounting co-pays and transportation costs have depleted her small amount of savings, despite her state-subsidized health care plan waiving as many fees as possible to deem her medical bills “affordable”. Quite simply, Tori is at $0.00 and urgently needs to continue her treatments if she is to survive this illness.

At this moment, Tori is considering stopping her chemotherapy treatments because she cannot afford them. The financial and physical strain of this cancer is causing her to experience panic and asthma attacks and intense emotional stress.

 

Funds raised for Tori will be used directly to:

 

Born and raised in Milwaukee’s north side neighborhood of Havenwoods, a predominantly black community with a 46% employment rate and where 51% of households are Food Stamp recipients, Tori endured a life filled with challenge and loss. In 2012, her father died of lymphoma, and she lost her aunt to breast cancer. Three years later, on Tori’s birthday, her mother died suddenly of sarcoidosis and asthma-related complications. She was left alone to care for her then 15-year-old sister, Jessica. They were both still in high school.

 

Tori’s mother was the one person who supported her as she began to express herself as transgender during her teenage years. Without her, Tori found herself alone, afraid, and deeply depressed, though she remained committed to Jessica, taking on the responsibilities of a parent, sibling, and caregiver. Tori began hormone replacement therapy in 2016, hoping that coming out and moving forward with her transition would bring her a renewed sense of confidence and happiness.

 

Since then, Tori has had many ups and downs but has always persevered. She is employed as a home care worker for elderly and disabled individuals and does temp work on the side, though she is currently unable to work due to her illness.

 

Tori is in urgent need of life-saving support. In a time where vast inequity in our healthcare system prevents access to affordable health care for so many, it is our responsibility to help where we can. Every single contribution, no matter how small, will make a difference in Tori’s life.

 

About the Fundraiser:

My name is Sasha Sicurella. I am the founding director of the I AM Projects (@iamprojectbox ), a non-profit organization that works globally to provide opportunities for people of all ages to explore identity through art, film, and photography. I met Tori in 2013 when she participated in a self-expressive photography project and 7-year-long documentary film I directed at Milwaukee’s Alliance High school. We’ve been connected as friends since, so I am compelled to do everything I can to ensure Tori gets the support she needs right now.