D - Donating

 

Theme: Grief Work and Healing Journey

For some, going through their loved one's belongings and figuring out what to do with them too soon can hurt them even more, but delaying the task too long can delay your grief and healing. Neither way is the right way. The only right way is your way.

I ended up going through my mom's things very early on in the grieving process for a couple of reasons. 

One, a sibling kept asking about this item and that item, and because of that I decided to gather up everything my mom left to her family or what I thought they'd like/want, which meant going through things. 

Two, I had to do SOMETHING. During the first two or three weeks, I really relied on being busy. Busy work and distractions are helpful but, again, can delay grief and healing.

Three, I didn't like having these tasks left to do, going through my mom's belongings. I didn't think that waiting would particularly make it easier, as some say, so I did it early, and because I couldn't get help, I did it all by myself.

Yes, there were a couple of moments when I got emotional, which I share in the upcoming F - Facebook Posts, but time wouldn't have made me less emotional, and I was okay afterward.

Anyway...

Homeless Care Packages / National Homelessness Awareness Month / Good Causes PART 8

November is National Homelessness Awareness Month

From November 12 - 20, it is Hunger & Homelessness Awareness Week.

From Carpenter's Shelter's Website: Every year, hundreds of thousands of American families become homeless, including more than 1.6 million children.

For more details on homelessness check out: State of Homelessness: 2021 Edition, which does not account for the impact of COVID.

This year, I started to put together care packages for local homeless people.

From April 2022 to November 2022 I’ve handed out 11 care packages.

I was inspired to start doing this during my mom’s second hospitalization in April, in which she was in the hospital for nine days. She was at a hospital a bit farther from home that was located in an area where there are more homeless people. Many times I’d see homeless people at one specific intersection. One frequent visitor to that spot was a person with a prosthetic limb who I always wanted to help, but I’d never have cash on me. Or any money to spare in the bank.

I had recently finished reading Period Power by Nadia Okamoto. In the book she talks about the need for homeless people to have access to menstrual products like pads and tampons, how most shelters don't carry any in stock for those who’d need them, how menstruaters often don't bother to ask for pads or tampons out of shame for needing them, and the dangers if homeless or poor menstruaters don’t have menstrual products, like toxic shock syndrome from using a tampon (or pad) longer than is safe. 

NOTE: I discuss the book Period Power more, and other books like it, in this blog post: Body Literacy Book Recommendations

Seeing all the local homeless people after reading Period Power, and while my mom was in the hospital and I felt pretty powerless, gave me the idea to put together care packages for homeless people with whatever I already had on hand.

So, after driving home one night to get some sleep, before returning to the hospital early the next morning, I created a care package with pads and one with out. And everything was already right there in my home that I could spare (yes, even the pads because I now use reusable pads, which I highly recommend), even though I really didn't have much.

Stand Up To Cancer, Protect Trans Youth, Stand With Ukraine / Good Causes PART 4

Please Note: My mom was admitted into the hospital early February 27th (as in 2:00 am). By the time this post goes live, she may or may not be home, but everything that had been a concern (and there had been several) has improved and she’s feeling a lot better. I’ll be resting and taking care of her even more in the coming days, so…once again…my replies to comments and return visits to bloggers will be delayed. I will get to it eventually, though. Promise. Thanks for your understanding!

Update: She was discharged last night (February 28th). ❤️

Good Causes:

Causes and Donations - Books, Animals, and People / PART 1

Good Causes to Support / PART 2

I Donated My Hair / Good Causes PART 3

*** *** STAND UP TO CANCER *** ***

Every year, Stand Up To Cancer does a televised event that helps to raise awareness and bring in donations, but every month is cancer awareness month, every month you can donate to Stand Up To Cancer or to any cancer charity/organization.

From their website: Stand Up To Cancer’s (SU2C) mission is to raise funds to accelerate the pace of groundbreaking translational research that can get new therapies to patients quickly and save lives now.

SU2C brings together the best and the brightest researchers and mandates collaboration among the cancer community. By galvanizing the entertainment industry, SU2C has set out to generate awareness, educate the public on cancer prevention, and help more people diagnosed with cancer become long-term survivors.

My mom rang the chemo bell on February 14, 2022 (Valentine's Day). I sat with her during each of her six chemo treatments, and on that last one I wore a SU2C shirt that I bought just for this reason.

This is me with no makeup, no styled hair.

Just my SU2C shirt and matching nail polish

after coming home from my mom's final chemo treatment.

I will also wear it when she has her last radiation treatment, when she has a CT scan to check on the progress, and when she sees her doctor to hear the results and hopefully move on to the next phase of her treatment, which is immunotherapy.

During my mom's final treatment, I took pictures to document the moment, created a short video, and shared it on Instagram for everyone to see the details of her journey so far. You can watch it HERE on my Instagram.

Action Items:

- Buy SU2C merchandise and wear it proudly in public.

- Create a tribute placard with the name of a loved one who you stand up for. Check out mine below.

- Become an advocate

- Fundraise

- Donate

I stand up to cancer for my mom. 

*** *** PROTECT TRANS YOUTH *** ***

In Florida and Texas, transgender youth are being attacked by heartless people and politicians. 

First off, are you a teacher? Check out the Free to Be Me: A Toolkit to Protect LGBTQIA+ Students' Rights.

Texas:

February 21, Attorney General Paxton said that gender-affirming care for trans youth is child abuse.

It's not.

What is child abuse? Physically injuring a child, sexually abusing a child, withholding food and water and shelter (neglect), psychological/emotional maltreatment (e.g. telling a child their worthless and unloved).

What is not child abuse? Affirming their gender.

Check out Schuyler Bailar's (@pinkmantaray) informative post on this HERE on Instagram.

These politicians who are going after trans youth are committing child abuse by making them feel worthless, unloved, unwanted, and blatantly attacking them and who they are. Their actions risk increasing suicidal ideation.

What's also horrifying is that Texas wants to investigate all parents of trans children as child abusers. Those investigations will harm loving parents and happy transgender children and hurt the children who are ACTUALLY being abused because they will get lost in the shuffle while social services investigate these ridiculous false claims against parents of trans kids.

It's beyond time to take action.

Florida:

February 25, the Florida House passed the "Don't Say Gay" bill.

From Equality Florida: "This dangerous bill blocks teachers from talking about LGBTQ issues or people and undermines existing protections for LGBTQ kids in schools. This legislation is meant to stigmatize LGBTQ people, isolate LGBTQ kids, and make teachers fearful of providing a safe, inclusive classroom. The existence of LGBTQ students and parents is not a taboo topic that has to be regulated by the Florida Legislature."

Action Items: 

Send a (virtual) Love Letter to Trans Texans. The date has been extended to March 4th. "Declare your love and commitment to action to support and fight for trans people."

Send a pre-written message through Equality Texas to the Department of Family and Protective Services urging them to listen to medical experts and protect trans kids from politicians like Texas Governor Abbot and Attorney General Paxton. 

Sign Equality Texas' Joint Statement Supporting the Care of Transgender Children. "Supporting and providing access to gender affirming care for transgender children promotes health and well-being. It is not child abuse. This approach is recommended by the prevailing standards of care, best practices, and guidelines endorsed by local, national and international professional organizations."

Sign this petition to Demand the Justice Department investigate Texas Governor Abbott for illegally targeting families of trans kids. 

Sign this petition: Texas's Governor Wants to Hurt Trans Kids by Going After Supportive Parents. "Texas must prove it truly cares about children by standing up for trans kids, too."

Send pre-written letters to Florida senators through Equality Florida's to Tell Florida Lawmakers to Oppose "Don't Say Gay" Bill.

My Accountability: I have done all of these action items and the additional ones below.

Donate To:

Equality Florida

Transgender Education Network of Texas (TENT)

Equality Texas

Out Youth

Support queer and trans BIPOC communities through Allgo

Instagram Accounts to Follow:

Equality Florida @EqualityFL

ACLU of Florida @aclufl

Trans Texas @TransTexas

Equality Texas @EquailtyTexas

Allgo @allgoqpoc

Out Youth @OutYouth

Additional Action Items to Protect Trans Kids:

Join HRC’s Count Me In movement for trans and non-binary equality & get your FREE sticker in support of trans equality.

Sign this petition to Tell the Tennessee legislature to stop targeting trans kids.

Download and display a free Trans People Belong Here poster.

*** *** STAND WITH UKRAINE *** ***

Russia is invading Ukraine, risking the displacement of 5 millions Ukrainians, resulting in the largest refugee crisis currently impacting the world. Ukraine is in dire need of life-saving support, aid, and funds while while innocent civilians are forced to flee their homes.

Donate To:

Voices of Children - "Charitable Foundation Voices of Children helps children affected by the war in eastern Ukraine. Thanks to you, we provide psychological and psychosocial support to children. It helps them overcome the consequences of armed conflict and develop."

United Help Ukraine - "100% of all donations go to the cause (minus small transaction fees) and dedicated to help Ukraine."

Revived Soldiers Ukraine - "a non-profit organization dedicated to providing aid to the people of Ukraine so that they may fulfill fundamental rights and freedoms such as right to life, right to appropriate and affordable medical care, freedom of belief and freedom for an adequate standard of living."

Voxtok - SOS - provides "comprehensive assistance to conflict-affected persons and IDPs, promoting democratic transformation and human rights values in Ukraine."

The Ukrainian Red Cross

NOVA Ukraine - a "registered non-profit organization (EIN 465335435) dedicated to raising awareness about Ukraine in the US and throughout the world and providing humanitarian aid to Ukraine."

Save the Children - "We are gravely concerned for children in Ukraine, Afghanistan and around the world who might be caught in the middle of armed conflict, forced to flee their homes and exposed to injury, hunger and sub-zero temperatures."

Ukraine Humanitarian Fund

Catholic Relief Services - "CRS and Caritas partners on the ground are preparing across Ukraine and in bordering countries, ready to provide safe shelter, hot meals, hygiene supplies, fuel to keep warm, transport to safe areas, counseling support and more."

The Kyiv Independent - "Ukraine’s English-language media outlet, created by journalists who were fired from the Kyiv Post for defending editorial independence."

My Accountability: I have donated a combined total of $45.55 to two of the above charities.

Get Accurate Info:

Kyiv Post @KyivPost.official

Ukraine’s official social media accounts 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/UkraineUA.MFA

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ukraine.ua/

President of Ukraine

Web: https://www.president.gov.ua/en

Twitter: https://twitter.com/ZelenskyyUa 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/zelenskiy.official

Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine

Web: https://mfa.gov.ua/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/MFA_Ukraine

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/UkraineMFA

SHARE WITH ME if you support these causes by taking any of the action steps.

QUESTION: Who do you stand up to cancer for? 

Causes and Donations - Books, Animals, and People / PART 1

 

Hey Everyone,

I want to share with you some very good causes that you can support.

LITTLE FREE LIBRARIES:

Do you have books lying around at home or on bookshelves that you've had for years but really aren't going to read? Why not add them to local Little Free Libraries? While you're at it, you can donate your own published books to Little Free Libraries, too, as my mom and I had done recently.

Check out this map to find Little Free Libraries near you:

https://littlefreelibrary.org/ourmap/