Help Zippy get back on her feet!

TL;DR: This long-overdue fundraiser aims to provide financial relief for a gorgeous being who is struggling to survive. The ravages of chemo have left her greatly depleted, unable to truly rebuild and repair.

Many of us have celebrated the fact that Zippy's cancer is in remission, but the cost of her survival has been much greater than most realize, and her road to recovery is far from over.

Chemotherapy and its lasting effects pushed her body over the edge, adding even more diagnoses to her already complex pathology (POTS, Gastroparesis, Ehlers Danlos.) She's presently unable to eat solid food, combating dysautonomia, extreme fatigue, persistent nausea, dizziness, hot flashes, cognitive difficulties, frequent migraines and blurred vision (particularly distressing for a photographer.)

Not yet able to productively work – having drained her resources to get through intensive chemo and multiple surgeries – the financial strain of surviving each month finds her perpetually on the brink of houselessness. While she knows her community would never let that happen, it’s an overwhelmingly stressful place to exist on a day-to-day basis.

Though she's applied for disability and cash assistance, she's caught in a demoralizing cycle of beaurocratic appeals and denials. Feeling defeated, deeply exhausted, and weary of painful struggling, she recently came frighteningly close to giving up.

We need to affirm that her work, art, and life are worth continuing to fight for.

In 2021, when Zippy was diagnosed with aggressive breast cancer, she met it with beautiful vulnerability, determination, and a gentle strength that was humbling to witness. A self-proclaimed “Cancer Conversationalist,” she found a platform on TikTok where she's helped others by openly sharing her journey, with raw authenticity and humor.

So many people found inspiration and reassurance in her story; her unique perspective & playful charisma manifested an entire community in itself. Her daily livestreams came to be known as “The Nest” – a safe space where people can visit and find support from Zippy and her followers.

Though she dislikes using violent rhetoric around cancer metaphors, this truly has been just one major battle in a war she’s fought with her body her entire life.

A 2-story fall at age 3 caused significant undetected injuries (including Syringomielia from spinal cord damage), resulting in a rare diagnosis of severe Scoliosis at just 7 years old and recurrent ocular migraines through adolescence. After years of trials and thorough exploration of alternative therapies, corrective surgery proved necessary. At age 19, she had a posterior spinal fusion – T3-L4 (13 levels) with two 18” steel rods.

While the surgery was successful in halting the progression of her curvature, suppressing her headaches and preserving her lung capacity, such extensive restriction of her spine brought about significant complications (Sciatica, Degenerative Disc Disease, Occipital Neuralgia, Fibromyalgia.) Decades later, her mobility is greatly reduced and she endures increasingly debilitating chronic pain – from her pelvis through her skull.

This life-long struggle with physical adversity has been a massive weight to carry, but she's done so mostly in silence. Were it not for cancer and its necessary treatments, she’d likely still be stubbornly attempting to shoulder these burdens alone (she calls it 'a bad case of I'll-do-it-myself-itis'.)

Though she has a very hard time accepting help, she can no longer manage on her own. Her innately resilient spirit just needs a little space to breathe.

The direct impacts of your generous donations:

We realize that might seem like quite a lot, so – let's start with a more immediately achievable goal of one month, and build from there.

$30k = $2500/mth breakdown (minimum needed for basic expenses):

It’s not a small ask, but it will make a world of difference.

Please share and contribute as much as you are able. No amount is too small; just a dollar or two from as many people as she's touched would add up to quite a lot.

Together we are powerful.

GoFundMe is just one way to support Zippy!