jess needs hardship support to cope with recent crises

Hi friends and supporters, a tiny update emotionally I feel a bit more hopeful and the support here helps more than words but the pressure at most fronts has not eased, they are putting rent up again, total now $700 more than a year ago, and my health's been going down. As I'm unable to drive or do physical shop food costs are getting out of reach. With stomach conditions I can't just eat random food. Every bit counts towards me surviving this very difficult phase and hopeful to emerge through it with a chance to flourish! But that feels a long way off. Thanks so much for your support. Indebted to Jasmine Kazlauskas for writing this article. It is a tough read and please be mindful with your own sensitivity if you choose to read it. https://www.news.com.au/finance/real-estate/renting/melbourne-singer-suffers-another-huge-blow-after-both-parents-die/news-story/ad5772960d3bc68ff5b6c25d8e5bf362

Please note as my trajectory health wise is hard to predict, I must take fast action to better my health, and fortify myself for potential stomach surgery. I have increased the go fund me target to allow enough to have the best chance to get on my feet a proper and to get that surgery if it's needed. The surgeons advise the more surgery we do the more risk, either way, it looks to be a lifetime condition. As just surviving this phase in life is likely not enough, the short term survival yes but then things plummeting I'll be literally at risk of losing everything I have worked decades towards achieving. I don't want this hardship to define the rest of my life and my future. The target is now realistic I have outlaid in depth the cost trajectory below.

The original post, It's Jess Hieser here, teacher, actor and singer songwriter. I never thought I'd be in a position to require a gofundme, but it has come to this point. I don't have the energy to create a Patreon page right now but please see 'What I can offer' below. As my dearest friends know, I have had ongoing health issues the past few years that has seriously hampered my ability to perform, act, and teach. I currently have frozen shoulder and a large benign but painful growth in my lower abdomen that means I haven't been able to easily put on shoes or socks, or bend, or drive, or use steps with both feet, in a long while, as any pressure causes pain. I am chronically underweight despite good eating patterns. These conditions worsened recently when helping my father deal with a serious illness the 5 weeks before he died. At week 2 I couldn't drive, was in agony, and needed a dear friend to drive me to dads and back as often as possible, but the physical requirements almost broke me. At week 5 I became too unwell to walk and then caught Type A flu, and couldn't assist Dad in the last week of his life. I lost my father in a devastating house fire July 14, 2024. My eldest brother, and Dad's eldest son, survived the fire. It is an ongoing investigation. I'm the manager for my Dad's post life affairs. I lost my mother April 29, 2024 on her birthday, and at her bedside for 20 hours before she passed. I lost an epic friend from VCASS to unintended suicide not long before mum. During this time, I have fought to retain tenancy at my current rental, and won a VCAT hearing, but we are facing a new vacate notice as the owners want to sell.

It has been hardship upon hardship. I have lost thousands in earnings during this time. There are no major assets or money amongst the family and I have maxed out who I can borrow from and utilised every possible charity support during these past years. It is now too much and there are serious things I need to resume teaching, and granting I recover from grief, and manage to start better healing and managing my physical conditions, I do hope to reemerge with music performing and acting.

Re the rental problems, I have not been in a physical condition to move house, and every rental we applied for was rejected for unknown reasons, as I have never had a problem securing rentals before. There has been ongoing mistreatment, and when advised about my mother's and father's deaths, the communicator I deal with was the only person to give it zero acknowledgement.

My immediate needs is support to up to $7000

-pay rent, that was increased $700 a month and made financial pressures even greater. I cannot move to a cheaper rental, we have tried and had more than 30 rejections even at lesser rent, I have no time, energy or funds to move

-buy clothes as I have no walkable shoes, and no adequate teaching attire

-buy food, food vouchers from Woolworths or Coles as charity can give only so many!

-medical support, I have a painful permanent muscle condition, and it's been years since I have been able

to access any muscle support therapy. I struggle to purchase medical products,I don't get Any therapy as I cannot afford it (see ongoing) and med bills

-transport support, I can no longer drive my manual car as it worsens my left lower abdo considerably, and it's off road anyway and requires repairs and then sale. I do get half price ubers with my mobility issues but it costs huge amounts any weeks I try to teach or get to medical appts, even with it at half price

-any interim costs regarding my father's post life affairs, although I am seeking what charity support available,

is helpful, as it's a pressure that I don't know what money i might need I just know I don't have any money to spare, and already running short on rent that is due in 10 days.

My ongoing needs if I have any chance to pull through these hardships adequately, effectively manage health crises and give myself the best chance for recovery. As a 6 month timeline

-to treat frozen shoulder and permanent muscle condition that is worsening I need remedial massage, physio, muscle therapy $700 a month, travel as PT is not an option, even at half price for mobility challenged travelers, $300 a month total $6000

-long term income loss means I don't have enough clothes and basic items to function, I get bad rashes and can use only cotton products, I have 1 towel, I need more, I have 1 pair of shoes thanks to the go fund me page here! But I need at least 2 pairs of usable suitable shows for my mobility probs. I need an adequate workbag as must force myself to teach to earn any income. I need basic household items. $700

-I need a therapeutic bed $3000

-potential stomach surgery requiring 2 surgeons present. And preferable to say the least to do the surgery with the same specialist who operated in 2019 and 2022. $3000 to $6000

-ergonomic chair, desk, keyboard, walking aides, canes, potential walker, shoes designed to support my walking problems $1200

-at home help, cleaning, gardening, shopping when I cannot get it online $500 total 6 months $3000

-pay long overdue bills, and personal debts accruing since rent increases $5000

-trade in manual car for ergonomic low seated, gentle pedal automatic car, repair manual for sale $3000

-holistic counsellor whose saved my sanity and was there through mum and dads loss, and who has allowed me a very low payment plan $2000

-miscellaneous, to help me potentially have any bright days, I wouldn't mind buying a few jigsaws, and zelda games to distract myself! $200

-medicinal teas that help a great deal with my stomach issues, and medicinal products, bandages for my frozen shoulder, muscle ointments, products that help with stress relief $370 a month total $2220

What I can offer

• free zoom intro to acting, music, songwriting, writing, or reiki healing, 20 to 30 minutes, please message me through my website linked at the news article "Jess is talented actor and singer-songwriter who had the world at her feet before being struck down with medical issues a few years ago."

• free email holistic self empowerment support go to the wellbeing tab at my website www.uniqueugifts.com or see article

• free resources; Music Training guides, accessible and easy to understand; Acting Training manuals; Acting book chapters

• half price acting or music lessons, BMus, BTeach, Professional Actor and Acting coach, Singer Songwriter, expert theory trainer see https://uniqueugifts.com/acting-coaching/ see https://uniqueugifts.com/musicteaching/ or see article for links

your support is a huge help to me during what I hope is one of the hardest times in my life. Anything in my capacity i can do to reciprocate please contact me.

thank you always,

love, jess