Medical Leave Fund from Fibroid Surgery

Hello to my dear community,

As many of you know, I've been suffering from the discomfort and health issues of having a large 15 cm fibroid (the same size as the melon in the pic below) in my uterus growing for the last 8+ years. The time has come for me to get surgery and finally feel what it's like to live without carrying this weight around.

While I was pregnant with Diego, we jokingly named my fibroid Freddy and, well, it's kind of stuck... So as my friends have been saying, it's time to evict Diego's wombmate!

My surgery is scheduled for December 1, 2022, at 7 am. Due to the size of my fibroid, I'll have to have an open myomectomy with a longer c-section incision and I'll need to stay at the hospital for 2-3 nights. I was really hoping to have it done laparoscopically but sadly it's too large. My recovery will be around 6 weeks long. Since I'm self-employed, I won't be earning any income during my leave and will also have to keep paying my office rent, utilities, and other overhead costs to continue to stay in business. Additionally, the surgery will cost us the remaining amount of our deductible (~$2,500).

Boston living is very expensive and Andreas' teacher income is not enough for us to afford for me to take 6 weeks off without draining our modest savings and causing me/us a lot of stress from the financial strain and accruing credit card debt.

Asking for help isn't easy for me but I know it is what I have to do for my family and for peace of mind while I recover. Any little bit will help and I will be eternally grateful for your support.

In exchange for your contribution to my medical leave fund, I will gift local folks a small plant or plant cutting (while supplies last!) as a thank you. I'll message you with details about plant pick-ups.

Thank you in advance for your love and support during this time. Sending love,

-Manuela