Ki Needs an Urgent Second Surgery

Hi everyone. I’m creating this GoFundMe on behalf of a friend, Akiea “Ki” Gross (educator & creator of Woke Kindergarten) who recently found out they need a second pelvic surgery in less than 12 months. 3 weeks ago, Ki learned that there is a solid, cystic mass that has rapidly grown and “overtaken” their left ovary. Because of the size, rapid growth and unknown nature of the mass, Ki’s only option to sustain their health is to have their entire left ovary removed. This procedure is medically referred to as a unilateral salpingo-oophorectomy.

Last August, thanks to incredible support from community, Ki was able to finance & receive laparoscopic excision surgery after suffering 20 years of chronic pain related to endometriosis. It completely changed their life & they had been recovering well (and pain free!) up until about 6 weeks ago. Because Ki was very familiar with this pain, they were concerned that something was happening with their left ovary and sought care. That’s when scans surprisingly revealed the rapidly growing nature of the mass.

As you can imagine, this news has been a very stressful & upsetting disruption for Ki, who in addition to the incredible pain they are experiencing, has been blacklisted, doxxed, harassed, received death threats & has had their work contracts terminated as a result of their work with Woke Kindergarten this year.

After contacting several doctors across multiple states, they were able to secure a surgery date with their original surgeon for next Tuesday, June 4th. Unfortunately, this is surgery is out of network so on Ki’s behalf, please consider helping to lighten the monetary load by supporting them in financing the surgery & contributing to their post-care during recovery while they’re unable to work. The surgery is quickly approaching and Ki needs support.

If you know Ki personally, you know how selflessly they give themselves and the recent doxxing of their identity due to their support of marginalized groups has resulted in less work opportunities, therefore making it even harder to afford such an expensive but necessary procedure.

Below are some pre and post surgical from Ki’s surgery last August that was made possible by your support. As you can imagine, the first surgery was life-altering so the hope is that this one will be the last medical procedure they need to undergo to live a healthy life, free of endo & free of pain. Please consider supporting again if you are able. We greatly appreciate it!