Help for Mei Mei

Hello, my name is Chris Best. My wife and I own The Rust Belt Market in Ferndale Michigan. This little market is specifically for makers, collectors and artists to have a safe harbor in which to have a small store. We are something of a collective of creative, hard working entrepreneurs. One of our long time vendors has suffered a stroke. Mei Mei Zhao has been a vendor with us for 10 years and she was recently forced to discontinue her stay here. She cannot make her soap products she sells as she has lost the use of her left hand. She is also unable to walk unassisted. The acute CVA hemiparesis and ataxia has turned her world upside down. She needs financial assistance.

All of us here at The Rust Belt Market are sick about her circumstance. We are like a family as we’ve known Mei Mei for a decade now.. She is scared. Her family is scared. At 67 she has began physical therapy as she refuses to give up. We all thank you in advance for your generosity.

If you would like to keep reading, here is a bit about Mei Mei’s interesting back story: Mei Mei immigrated to Singapore from Rengan, Malaysia in 1965 when her father saw more opportunity for his family in a more liberalized country. It was in Singapore her sister married a man who owned a soap factory. Mei Mei learned from her sister the ingredients and craft of soap making using coconuts from Malaysia to make oil as an essential ingredient. It was also in Singapore where Mei Mei would meet her husband, a man from Alma, Michigan. Her late husband, Jim, was a deep sea diver employed by an offshore oil company to explore new territory to drill. Jim ultimately retired back to Michigan with Mei Mei where she came face to face with a new culture and a new climate. The cold, dry winters left her skin dry and in need of repair. She began making soap again with coconut oil. It worked better than the soaps found in the average supermarket for her. An enterprising Mei Mei began selling her wonderful products at local farmers markets to a clientele in need of better soap. Over 20 years, she built a loyal and grateful following and thus, a prosperous business for herself. That is, until the recent, crippling stroke.

We thank you for taking the time to read through all of this. Again, thank you for your consideration!