Tezos

Lupus Warrior

Creator

tz1ae2d1BJt7YUqaaec6Xenh3mBqS7VjSZtK

Description

This is a collaboration with my partner, Brittany, aka CraftVanilla.tez. We are getting married in September. This should be a time of joy. She has waited so many years for me to finally "make it happen". However, while planning a wedding, she also fights a constant battle: Brittanys symptoms began in 2016, but she wasn't insured until 2021- when multiple biopsies tested positive for Lupus. She was told her organs were at risk, and that she has anemia, rheumatoid arthritis, & is very photosensitive. When she learned of her sun allergy, she realized her job as a delivery driver was over-exposing her. So she switched to later hours (no daytime shifts), only wearing SPF shirts (sunset is 8-ish but gotta start at 5 to make enough), & tinted her car windows. We hung blackout curtains in all the windows. She began rarely going out during the day & taking extra caution when she did. She improved her diet, stayed hopeful, started stretching daily, & took her medications as prescribed. She tried 4 treatments; Plaque-nil (adverse effects), Dapsone (allergic response), Methotrexate (no results), & Benlysta (a weekly injection that helped mildly, then stopped & is $$$$$). Nothing has fully worked or been enough. Her health is rapidly deteriorating lately & as a result, she is in pain & losing strength both physically & emotionally. She is not making enough money anymore & has used up her savings she'd been building for years. Due to self-employment, she is ineligible for disability. Her Rheumatologist is upset too; her doctor is taking her case to a convention where doctors get together to discuss & help each other solve rare cases of auto-immune diseases. For now, he's referring her to the hospital for 3 rounds of IV Blood Transfusions but insurance doesn't fully cover those ($650 ea. after coverage). That's when she realized she is currently in need of a miracle (medically & financially!) & really needs help! I created this visual and music as a tribute and then asked her to read some lines from her diary to express some of her struggle with Lupus. The sales from this Open Edition will go directly to Brittanys wallet to help her cover bills, as she fights this disease.

Traits