Did you know that Bad Bunny has a nonprofit foundation called Good Bunny that empowers underserved children and youth in PR through music, arts, and sports?
Alt text: Logo for the Good Bunny Foundation featuring a smiling white bunny icon integrated into the words “GOOD BUNNY,” set against a soft gradient background blending blue, green, and warm orange tones.
Description text: The Good Bunny Foundation logo showcases a friendly bunny face nestled within bold lettering, symbolizing compassion, kindness, and community care. The calming gradient background reflects warmth, hope, and inclusivity at the heart of the foundation’s mission.
I’ve been carrying a voluntary mutual aid infrastructure project (Mutual Aid Hub) while using my platforms to push anti-imperial analysis and sustain it through whatever freelance work my disability allows. But that model has become unsustainable. For health reasons, I’ve shifted entirely to developing the Hub and offering my take when my nervous system allows.
Full transparency and the new support structure are here:
🔗 https://wrzky.com/legacy
192/2,600 in — still 2,408 to go ❗
Thank you to everyone who’s shown up 💜
If you can contribute, please do. If not, amplify this link. Let’s move it 🙂↕️
My girlfriend’s family desperately needs help. They’ll be homeless on Monday (4/8) after her mom’s partner was fired for reporting transphobic harassment in Kentucky. Since then, every attempt to find a new job has been met with discrimination.
The court has given them only 2 days to leave. They have 2 kids (6 & 16) and 2 dogs, and they are about to lose the only home they have.
Their own family promised to help… but instead, they stole from them and assaulted my girlfriend, who is 16 and trans. Now they have almost nothing. Even the storage unit with the kids’ belongings will be sold on 4/6 if it isn’t paid off.
They have no one left to turn to. Any donation, even a small one, or a simple boost could be the difference between safety and losing everything.
#queer#genderfluid#domesticviolence survivor in need of #mutualaid as I rebuild. parent of a 10-month-old navigating the legal process, transitioning back to work, & gathering my village.
URGENT NEED FOR COMMUNITY CARE FOR A TRANS GIRL IN PAKISTAN
A trans girl in Pakistan needs to buy her estrogen medication but due to the transphobic job culture she does not have a job or the means to afford it. She has become deeply depressed and disconnected because of this and can't focus on her studies causing her to miss her classes. She needs $160 for 6 months worth of estradiol and T blockers.
Please help keep
@SabiLewSounds & family safe from #ICE, cops and potential for death due to exposure.
Being without shelter has explicitly been stated under state law, following the #SCOTUS decision of Grant's Pass V Johnson, that it is illegal to be without shelter.
Further, it is illegal to own and operate a vehicle without valid licensure, registration and insurance.
Having invalid identification allows for increased likelihood of a dangerous encounter.
It sounds like a strange name for a band or the title of a campy 1980s tv episode, but for #BIPOC families in #poverty, it speaks of very real & present danger
Danger that didn't start with the election, nor in the past 10yrs
For some, action means #activism, for others it means upholding #communitycare, to ensure mutual survival
Maskless healthcare workers - would you be willing to tell me WHY you don’t mask?
I’m not looking for “because I don’t have to”. I want to know why you don’t mask mirror for patients and/or CHOOSE to take precautions?
Respectful answers only please. I’m genuinely asking.
I’m working on an article about this and I feel I’ve got a good grasp on the “why” for those who DO mask - but I genuinely don’t understand those who refuse.
You’re in a profession where people pit your lives in their hands - it seems nonsensical to put them at risk. You KNOW you’re dealing with the most vulnerable among us - yet opt not to protect them.
A mask won’t harm you in any way - so what reason is there NOT to do it?
I would appreciate boosts for visibility - and there may not be many maskless HCWs on here so I also invite people to share stories of times their HCW refused to mask for them (and why - if you know).
If you become suddenly disabled or chronically ill - your whole world shifts. It’s a harsh adjustment to move from the land of the healthy into a world of constant sickness.
You lose friends & family, healthcare gets harder to access and you face discrimination & ableism.
I’ve written extensively about the experience of accessing medical care when you’re chronically ill. The challenges, risks and psychologizing that so rarely occur when you’re non disabled.
But there’s a lot more to the experience than just accessing healthcare.
In fact - many disabled people go to great lengths to avoid medical settings. Opting instead to hold themselves together with tape and glue.
The problem is - no one teaches you how to do this. There’s no welcome guide to the world of chronic illness.
It's why online communities are vital to our survival - because patients sharing stories help others learn how to manage their conditions. Many learn more from other patients than they will ever learn from HCWs.
Patients ARE the experts in how to cope with chronic illness.
Healthcare becomes a place for diagnosis and band aids - because chronic illnesses are not well understood. They don't get the funding or support they deserve and as a result - doctors are quite limited in what they can do for us.
That doesn't mean there isn't hope. There's a myriad of things you can do for yourself to accommodate your illness, improve quality of life, lessen pain and suffering and find a supportive group of people to get you through difficult times.
Accommodating does NOT mean giving up hope of a cure or improvement - it simply means accepting your disabilities and leaning into ways to improve quality of life.
Little changes can and do make a big difference!
I think about things like learning how to pace, the benefit of a shower chair, learning to put on compression socks BEFORE getting out of bed, having a hospital go bag at my disposal & an advance directive and substitute decision maker chosen and available.
The importance of having a robust at home first aid kit and learning basic medical care to deal with injuries. How to prepare a will.
How to reduce inflammation through diet & lifestyle changes. How to make your home more accessible. How to choose the right person to be a Power of Attorney.
These are just a few examples of things that have made a difference in my own life that I did NOT learn in a healthcare setting. I learned through trial and error as well as from the patients who came before me. The people who are the experts in the conditions I struggle with.
We must support each other - because if we won't - who will?
Building a place for support is one of the main goals for The Disabled Ginger. I've done a series of posts about the hospital experience & how to make it easier ... now it's time to move on to the welcome guides.
My focus will be on mini guides for each condition I deal with - as well as broader guides about how to navigate being chronically ill, accept your disabilities and improve quality of life WITHOUT the help of the medical system.
I hope you will join me on my journey and add your own important contributions. We all arrive at our disabilities from different places - and we are all unique. Every single one of us can bring a different perspective that will likely help someone else.
If there's a topic you want to see covered, something you've learned the hard way you wish someone had taught you, or anything you want to add - let me know.
I want this guide to be accessible to everyone - regardless of where they are in their chronic illness journey. For more you can read my newsletter & send suggestions or comments my way. Happy to have them!
Image of lightbulb on a blue background with pictures of graphs, clocks and charts all around it. White text reads There's No Welcome Guide to the World of Chronic Illness - But There Should Be When you become chronically ill - you're on your own. No one teaches you how to navigate this new world, how to adapt to your new -++ circumstances or find help. What... WWW.DISABLEDGINGER.COM
Finally got dr permission for IV magnesium. I don’t absorb it any other way so I am extremely deficient in it and ill. Can provide materials.
Problem is that I can’t find anyone to come out here in suburbia for less than $600 (check cost of wellness clinics in Melbourne. Expensive or don’t do at all. )
If you are a #nurse#phlebotomist#hcw or have any experience running a drip, please reply/DM. I don’t care if you learned it DIY as long as you know what you’re doing.
This treatment changes my life from bedridden to 60% of normal in a few months! That’s mildly ill in comparison.
It helps every symptom I have.
Hospitals only give it for preeclampsia. Hospital in the Home is the same. Private nurse services same.
It’s so basically going through proper channels doesn’t help.
It’s not illegal to have someone qualified come out and do it as long as doc has signed off on it which is why wellness clinics can do it. But medical system won’t. I know it doesn’t make sense but it’s Australia 2024. If you don’t have formal qualifications we can figure it out.
I’ve even asked the government for help. Nothing.
Was informed even private insurance wouldn’t help with this (I don’t have it ofc but this is an example of how hard and stupid this is.)
P-l-e-a-s-e post to other platforms. I have no team to help promote me I barely have any energy for basics . I have no energy to advertise. If you can help an team also let me know.
Please give me some quality of life.
I’m in #Melbourne#Australia.
If you’re willing to drive a distance will compensate for petrol and pay what you think is fair for your time.
TLDR: Need nurse or any qualified healthcare worker to come to my place to give magnesium IV.
Even consider unqualified if you know what you’re doing.
Cara was bullied for masking at school and eventually stopped… only to infect her high risk mom with covid. Her mom died.
Governments & public health should be blamed for this - not Cara. But I’m sure she will feel guilt the rest of her life. This is where “you do you” leads.
It shouldn’t be up to kids to protect their high risk family members. They aren’t prepared for the amount of bullying and peer pressure they will face to de-mask. We need to be dealing with this at the institution level. Clean air in classrooms. Paid time off for sick teachers and staff. No more attendance awareness and punishing sick kids for staying home. No more “diarrhea scales” to indicate whether your child can come to school with Covid diarrhea (your kid should be home if they have diarrhea). Negative tests should be required to return to the classroom.
I lost my mom to cancer when I was 19… and it fundamentally altered my entire life. Losing your Mom at a young age is a dreadful experience - and I can’t even imagine the grief and guilt this young girl is facing.
Her life is going to be forever altered. I hope she’s wrapped up in a cocoon of support and love and that it’s made clear to her every day that she was failed by systems and institutions. We must do better. The grown ups and those in charge NEED to protect the kids so no child is ever in this position.
Lastly - don’t bully a kid who’s masking. It’s hard enough for them and you don’t know who they’re trying to protect. Leave them be or better yet - put on a mask yourself and show them some support and solidarity.
The mask ban in Nassau County, NY went into effect today. It’s a dangerous, discriminatory and highly ableist ban that makes masking a criminal act.
The police will determine who is “sick enough” to wear a mask.
Everyone else? $1000 fine and/or jail.
I’ve written about mask bans in great detail in the past - I’m strongly opposed to them. Legislators say they’re designed to deter crime - when we know a medical mask does very little to obscure identity.
The reality is there’s no evidence to suggest they will stop crime - however there’s ample proof that they will deter high risk individuals from masking in public (or from being in public at all).
Invisible illnesses and disabilities are difficult for even doctors to understand - no one is going to feel comfortable letting a police officer determine if they’re “disabled enough” to not be breaking the law.
Bans like this increase the likelihood of harassment and violence against mask wearers - because people feel emboldened by the government effectively telling them that those who mask are “bad”. We aren’t bad - we’re just trying to survive.
My heart aches for everyone who wants and needs to protect their health in places that are enacting these bans - and I can only hope that if we keep getting loud and pushing back we can stop them from spreading.
Don’t make the mistake of assuming it can’t happen where you live - these bans can (and will) be enacted in more places if there isn’t public outcry.
Medical tools should never be banned. Masks are a critical accessibility & public health tool. They help. They don’t harm.
You know what does harm? Unmitigated covid spread. Ableism. Police profiling and law enforcement overreach. Anti-mask aggression. Bad policies and the refusal to pay attention to the science of airborne spread.
Nassau County just became more unsafe for everyone. Maskers and non maskers alike. Just like North Carolina before it… they’ve sent a very clear message that vulnerable people don’t matter. Marginalized people don’t matter. Ableism is alive and well.
You should also read the powerful TeenVogue article by Alice Wong on mask bans. I was thrilled to be given the opportunity to contribute - and I appreciate Teen Vogue being willing to tackle these critical subjects: https://www.teenvogue.com/story/mask-bans-disabled-people-protest
“No Olympic athletes are going to get Long Covid! It’s been 4 years and I don’t know anyone who has Long Covid!”
Yes. You do. Many people don’t disclose their disabilities for fear of ableist backlash. Others don’t connect the dots and may not realize they have Long Covid.
The sad reality is that like many other chronic illnesses - Long Covid is poorly recognized and likely underdiagnosed. Many patients are dismissed with “anxiety” by doctors who don’t understand the nature of these conditions.
Others can’t afford to seek healthcare as they’ve already lost work/income due to being chronically ill. Some may not have safe access to healthcare due to lack of masking and clean air in hospitals. They KNOW they’re sick but can’t risk re-infection.
There’s also people who are suffering from Long Covid and don’t realize it. They either can’t connect the dots (due to denial or lack of information) or they’ve convinced themselves it’s just “aging” or “stress”.
It’s alarming how many people in their 20s & 30s are writing off very serious physical symptoms as “getting older.” You shouldn’t be too exhausted to function in your twenties. Everything shouldn’t hurt. You should be able to smell your food. You shouldn’t be sick all the time.
Then there’s those who know they have Long Covid - but choose to keep it quiet from friends and family. Ableism runs incredibly deep in our society - and when you admit to being chronically ill you may find yourself judged, ridiculed, disbelieved or abandoned.
Many chronic illnesses are invisible - you won’t KNOW someone has them unless they CHOOSE to tell you. Ppl in my life had no idea I was disabled until I began advocating for disability rights. I could hide symptoms well enough to not tip them off & I didn’t volunteer the info.
Looking back I’m embarrassed by how long it took me to publicly admit I was disabled. The fear I had about sharing it is an indictment of how cruel people can be. Everyone preaches tolerance & acceptance - but few actually practice that in real life.
There’s also an extra stigma associated with Long Covid because it forces people to think about a period in their lives they’re desperately trying to forget. It challenges the narrative that we’re “back to normal”.
I lost many friends and loved ones when they found out I was sick. Some losses were immediate and brutal - people who carelessly tossed me by the wayside because they instantly put me into the “less than” category.
Other losses were slower and more painful - because they involved false hope. They were the ones who stuck around at first - who applauded me for telling them the truth & offered help and support.
Many did help - until they stopped. They almost all stop eventually. 1/2
I admin a local "pantry" group on Facebook, for food sharing. Basically, if you have food (or other stuff, but mostly food) that you don't want for whatever reason you can post it in the group and give it away. It stops good being thrown out and wasted, and helps people who might be going hungry otherwise.
Tonight a woman put up a post talking about how she's a young mum with two small boys, and that they were out of food until Thursday. She talked about how she was embarrassed to ask but really needed help.
Two women answered the post, offering food. The OP explained that she didn't drive and would it be ok of people dropped things at her place, so I offered to drive around and collect the things people were giving and drop them at her place. I don't have spare food I can help with, but I have a car and I have time.
The second woman I collected from was someone I actually met at the beginning of the year, when she posted in the group and asked for help with cleaning supplies.. I gave her a bunch of things I had tucked away under the sink and didn't use.
She had told me then about how her partner had just been diagnosed with cancer. She told me tonight how she'd stayed in the group because she was waiting for the opportunity to help someone else because we'd helped her so much. She's doing better now, and it made her feel happy she could help someone else.
When I dropped the food these two women had given to the OP, she talked to me about how her partner had died suddenly the year before, leaving her with two young boys.. both with autism and ADHD. She said she's 31 and doesn't have her life together yet. I told her I'm 50 and mines a mess too. I told her that one of the women who had offered food was someone the group had helped previously, and how happy she'd been to be able to help as well. We talked about how community means not only helping people, but also being helped. We talked about how this means that our communities are stronger and prosper together. She's looking forward to being able to help someone else too.
This is how mutual aid works. No matter how dark things get, we can find hope in community.
I’ve got a family member in remission from cancer who’s in denial about being high risk for Covid. Has had 3 infections & refuses to mask.
They recently went to the hospital for screening & to my surprise…wore one of the provided surgical masks.
Then they got sick.
Their local hospital has dropped mask mandates - but still provides complimentary surgical masks at the door. This person had just spent nearly 3 months sick with a “bad respiratory virus”… so wore the mask in the hopes of not getting sick again.
Unfortunately - they were one of the only people masked. The HCWs who performed their screening weren’t masking - and the procedure required sedation so their mask was likely removed.
Within 3 days of the procedure they had a bad cough, fever & chills.
When they told me - I asked if they would like to discuss respirators and ways to up their mask game for maximum personal protection. I pointed out that when no one else is masking - a surgical won’t protect you as well as an N95. I offered free respirators.
I knew it would be an uphill battle as this is an elderly individual who very much believes that doctors & hospitals know everything and wouldn’t possibly give them inferior protection or bad advice. If a surgical mask was being provided - that must be “good enough.”
Unfortunately it was even more difficult than I imagined to get through to them. Their response was simply “I’m never going to the hospital again - that’s where you get sick.”
I don’t necessarily disagree - hospitals can be dangerous places where the strongest bugs thrive.
But you never know when you might need the hospital. Emergencies happen. The cancer could return. A loved one could be hospitalized. Not to mention their prior 3 covid infections were NOT caught in a hospital. There ARE better tools to protect yourself.
I said “I know you’re frustrated you got sick where you went to get care - but there are ways to make it safer. I would be happy to help”.
I was told that they would prefer to live their life with joy and not think about Covid any longer.
There’s many problems with this mindset. My family member has been failed by governments and public health. They FINALLY reconsidered masking because they were fed up with being sick so often - but got sick despite masking because no one else masked & wrong mask was provided.
They were failed by the HCW’s who refused to mask around them. Failed by media and high profile public figures who insist that “masks don’t work” because they don’t know the difference between a mask and a respirator. Failed by politicians who proclaim the pandemic is over.
This person WAS reachable. After 3 infections they were fed up and genuinely didn’t want to be sick again. They trusted the hospital provided mask to keep them safe because they have always trusted doctors and medical staff. They can’t comprehend their advice might be wrong.
In their mind - they did everything right. They followed the guidelines & still caught covid. Now they’re angry and back in their denial bubble. We’ve missed an opportunity to educate & perhaps save a life - mainly due to the tidal wave of misinformation we’re up against. 1/2