Medical & Healing Support for Mango & Mama

Dear friends, family, and compassionate strangers,

We are reaching out to you today with heavy hearts and a plea for your support.

Our beloved friend & soul sibling Mango (they/them) who is a queer Kapampangan Pilipinx transient artist, organizer, and farmer, is going through an incredibly challenging time as their mother is courageously fighting Stage 4 breast cancer and was laid off from her job - which means she has no stable income and secure insurance to continue her life-affirming treatments. As you can imagine, the medical expenses and emotional toll have been immense.

We are initiating this GoFundMe campaign to rally support for Mango's Mom's cancer treatment and medicine, rent, and holistic wellness supplies, ensuring she receives the best care possible during this difficult journey as she secures a new job and restores her health. Additionally, Mango recently received news that they are at high risk for breast and ovarian cancer as well, and is currently undergoing medical tests to navigate the potentiality of this occurring. We are also fundraising for Mango’s preventative treatments and holistic wellness as they navigate this traumatic situation, including: medical institutions and costs, therapy, and the possibility of a mastectomy.

Mango has been their mother’s primary caregiver - scheduling and taking her to all her appointments & and has been paying all their mother’s treatment bills & holistic wellness support. We are fundraising with a heavy and hopeful heart on the behalf of our beloved Mango and their single mother, a Filipino immigrant, nurse, and domestic violence survivor who is raising Mango's two younger brothers: Trey and Francis.

Mango is a queer Kapampangan Pilipinx first-gen oldest child who has co-parented their siblings with their mom since they were 16 years old. Mango is an international interdisciplinary multimedia artist & in the experimental noise punk duo mirrored fatality. They are a seasonal farmer at Star Route Farm - a mutual-aid food sovereignty project and organic vegetable and herb farm in Upstate, New York, land steward and grant writer at The Earthlodge Center for Transformation in Long Beach, CA and Silvercreek, Mississippi, QTBIPOC punk, community worker, holistic healer, and grassroots activist involved in transnational organizing work in the Philippines, across Turtle Island (USA), and beyond.

As a transient person with no stable income and unstable housing, Mango is constantly traveling for work and isn’t currently based in New Jersey where their mother lives. This now leaves their family in a vulnerable position and urgently facing crises. Mango is very dear to all of our hearts and is a pillar in the DIY scene and QTBIPOC communities worldwide. Anyone who knows Mango knows their care and love is boundless and so generous. The care they give out so freely has nourished so many of us and has poured into the grassroots QTBIPOC community internationally and community organizing efforts globally. This is Mango’s time to receive that care back tenfold. They are the first to show up for so many and now it is our time to show up for them.

Currently, Mango’s mother’s former employer has promised her continued insurance until January 2024 and afterward her health insurance benefits will be discontinued, which is an unsettling prospect given her ongoing battle against cancer. Losing access to comprehensive health coverage at a time when she needs it the most adds an immense burden to her already difficult journey.

Our goal is to raise $125,000, which will alleviate the financial burden on Mango and ensure Mango’s mom receives the necessary treatments, medications, and supportive care she needs during this challenging time.

How You Can Help:

We are inviting you to join the mutual aid efforts to support Mango and their mother as she continues to navigate treatments in the coming months without stable income. Your support will bring some ease to a time of crisis: please DONATE and SHARE:

IG GRAPHICS by @weedmubarak repost: tinyurl.com/mangoigpost

tinyurl.com/mangomamaluv and direct payment methods:

Make a Donation: We are inviting you to join the mutual aid efforts to support Mango and their mother as she continues to navigate treatments in the coming months without stable income. Your support will bring some ease to a time of crisis and will go to the following needs:

PayPal: butleremily35 (@) gmail (dot) com

Cashapp: $emilybutt

Venmo: @embutt add “mango emoji ”

Ubereats and Doordash to support meals is helpful which can be emailed to mango.gwen (@) gmail (dot) com

If you have any holistic herbs or medicines, foods you recommend or want to send please email requests to mail to: emibmarie (@) gmail (dot) com

Share and Spread the Word: Help us reach as many compassionate souls as possible by sharing this campaign on social media, email, and among your friends and colleagues. The more people who know about this cause, the better the chances of reaching our goal. You can find shareable Instagram text & graphics at tinyurl.com/mangoigpost

Keep Mango & their Mom in Your Thoughts and Prayers: Positive energy and thoughts can do wonders during challenging times. Please keep Mango's Mum and their family in your prayers & light candles.

Mango's Mum is a symbol of love, strength, and resilience, and with your support, we can help her continue the fight against cancer. Let's join hands to make a difference and give her the best chance of recovery. Together, we can help Mango and their family navigate through this trying journey and offer them hope for a brighter, healthier future.

Thank you from the bottom of our hearts for your kindness and generosity.

With love and gratitude,

Samar, Alea, Nimir, India, Rino, Em, and Ant - Mango’s Chosen Fam xxxxx