Support Dani's Battle with Severe Crohn's Disease

Hi, I'm Dani. I'm a 22 year old trans girl living in Queens, NY. Next month, I am scheduled for a major surgery due to worsening symptoms of severe Crohn's disease with potentially life threatening complications. Since I have been bedridden or in the hospital and out of work for the past six months, I am asking for funds to help me catch up on bills, get myself out of a debt spiral, cover medical supplies, and help me have a bit of a cushion while I get long term disability benefits figured out.

In the past six months, I've fallen behind on every bill, amassed $2000 in credit card debt, fallen into $2000 of growing medical debt, and had to remove all non-bare-essential costs of living. I've spent over a month of this time admitted to the hospital or the ER, and I've had complications requiring surgery almost every two weeks. Last year, I lost my insurance, which has exacerbated my symptoms and left me nearly immobile when I'm outside of the hospital. The cost of my medical supplies is around $70 per week, which really adds up for someone who has no money. And while I’ve had my bare necessities covered by credit card debt and by the help of my friends, they’re not enough to cover my needs. Unfortunately, I do not receive any financial support from my family, which has also exacerbated these issues.

Due to my worsening symptoms, I've had to start wearing diapers at 22 years old for the foreseeable future and may need an ostomy bag after my surgery. I have lived with a daily pain score of at least 7/10 (the point at which you have to give up on almost all tasks because they're too painful) and have struggled with severe anemia due to internal bleeding and absorption issues, which has left me severely underweight with very low energy levels.

Because I am not well enough to go outside, I have been overwhelmingly socially isolated and unable to participate in nearly all of my hobbies. Prior to these past six months, I used to participate in tournament organizing and helping run the NYC Melee community, I participated in political organizing and mutual aid (which I still try to do as much as I can since I'm very passionate about them), and I used to see and hang out with my friends at the movies and at parks, just to name a few of the things that I really miss. I hope that by sharing this, I will be able to get the support I need to worry less about money and focus more on getting my health and finances under control long-term.

Thank you so much for reading this, and even if you can't donate, I would greatly appreciate it if you could share my page because every eye helps.