One Last Call for Help

Hi everyone, I have good news! My doctor and I have finally figured out the final big piece of work that'll help me stop having persistent dental problems, as well as improve my life overall. The bad news is that I lack the money to get the surgery I need to make it happen: $2500 for wisdom teeth removal. I know it's a lot to ask - and I personally feel like I've been shown more generosity than I have a right to already - but I'll need help to reach this goal. I'm looking to gather this money by May 8th, which is the day of my surgery.

First off, I'll go into why this surgery is so important for me, and then I'll share what ways you can help me on my journey to making my life so much better. Thank you to everyone who's supported me so far, to those who read this, and to those who want to help. (There's a TL;DR at the bottom if this is too much text)

For the past few years I've been dealing with slowly intensifying pain in my skull, and this previous year it's gotten to a point of being too debilitating to do anything when pain strikes. For 3 out of 4 weeks of the month I'm in this intense pain, and despite doing my best to smile it off & take ibuprofen to get by, it's only getting worse. I went to the doctor to get rid of what I suspected was the problem - an older crown, which I thought was failing or infected - and was surprised when he pointed out that I have wisdom teeth where I've been experiencing pain. The wisdom teeth are impacted, which means they're directly influencing my mouth's health: the rapid decay I've been experiencing, the problems with my molars, the tooth loss, as well as the off & on but persistent pain. It's all connected to these wisdom teeth! Being able to remove them is nothing short of life-changing for me: I'd regain energy I thought was gone forever as a result of the head pains I've had, on top of not having to worry constantly about the state of my mouth. The recovery process will be intense, around 2-3 weeks to even eat solid food again, but it'll be worth it for a lifetime of functioning more properly.

All of this leads to the $2500 I need by May 8th!! I'm going to work very hard to make the money by then so I can improve my existence and stop worrying about going to the dentist every month!! I'm putting all the money I've made recently toward this goal, so I'm not starting from zero (I'm at around $470 after today & last week's visits) but I'll certainly need help to reach the final cost.

It's hard to predict what this month will look like, but I'll do my best to continue streaming on Mondays and Wednesdays when I can. I'll do at least one or two $15 doodle streams to help toward the total goal, so if you'd like a quick piece of art this is a great opportunity to get that! I'll put my current goal counter at the bottom of the streams so you can see how close I am to reaching the $2500.

I'm not asking for you to simply send me money, though I am accepting donations if you feel charitable. Venmo is best for sending me anything, but I'm also open to other options (message for info and other options). As shown in the picture, I have a public tip jar, but it does take a cut.

What I'm offering art-wise includes commission rates I had previously, PLUS brand new options:

Please message me to discuss details; I'm a very quick worker and would love to bring your vision to life!!

Another way of helping me out is supporting media that I've already created! I recently released a cute zine with drawings, photography, and writings called "Dragons All Around Us," which is pay-what-you-want (AKA free, but you can choose to pay any amount of money for it) on my Itch account! I also have games, other zines, and a book that you can buy. I plan to make a follow-up zine to my latest one - more dragons!! - as well as a "creature zine" filled with wonderful and wacky real animals. This might take a little time to make as I'm pretty overwhelmed with everything happening, but I'll do my best to get these done on top of all else.

I know this was a lot to read... but thank you SO much for doing so!! I hope you can see how important this operation would be not just for my mouth's sake, but also for how I'm able to live day to day. Please spread this around to others too, every bit of support is extremely helpful and I'm eternally grateful!

TL;DR: I'm experiencing extreme head pains & tooth problems all connected to impacted wisdom teeth, and need surgery to remove them for $2500. You can help me by donating to me directly, commissioning art from me, or supporting any of my works (zines, books, games, etc.)! My surgery/deadline is May 8th. I appreciate any help - thank you!!

**Progress Note 4/10:**

I've reached $1500!!! That's about 60% of the goal with only $1k left 'til I reach it! I'm going to do my best and work hard to make it all the way; thanks so very much to everyone who has helped me so far!!

**Progress Note 4/22:**

I MADE MY GOAL!!! After a particularly long $15 Doodle stream, I made it all the way to $2.5k! Thank you sincerely to everyone who helped me reach my goal! I'm grateful I won't have to worry about being able to pay when I get these teeth removed... and for now, I'm closing commissions indefinitely as I prepare for the surgery and recovery. Thank you all!!!!