Dear friends and family, I have never used LFEBridge for personal reasons but I am asking now. My dearest and lifelong friend who I will call Rock here (because she has been my Rock) suffers from the insidious illness Chronic Systemic Sarcoidosis; her adult life has been a long slow death by a thousand paper cuts. She has been disabled, oxygen dependent, and unable to work for many years; since Covid she has been nearly entirely housebound, and rarely leaves her home. She is one of my few kindred spirits and I love her. Fortunately, Rock has the fortune of being loved and supported by her partner and caregiver of 15 years, Cliff. For 15 years Cliff has supported her in all the ways one can. His compassion included helping Rock care for her mother in their home. I love him. The crisis: Cliff recently suffered a serious medical event and, because his work involves public safety, he has been out of work for over a month, and will be without income for nearly another month. The medical care he is receiving is good and the precautions his employers are taking are good. And, this one medical event has undermined their already fragile security. Their emergency funds have been depleted by elder care needs (Rock’s mother passed away after a three-month battle with COVID), by Rock’s recent hospitalization with COVID complications, and by, and I am not making this up, a series of targeted burglaries of their home. So, while the most immediate economic issue is rent, they are facing an avalanche of uncertainty & medical expenses. The ask: I am asking you to help me help Cliff and Rock, my closest friend and dearest confidant, stay safe and sane and sheltered for a few more weeks while Cliff’s doctors get him stabilized and back to work. Last thought: I have been thinking about the role of shame in asking for help. I wonder, as I sit with my worry and fear and, maybe even my own shame in asking all of you in public to help me help my friend, how this will be received. And I am hopeful it will be received in the spirit it is extended: with compassion and generosity. Love, Beth
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