Happy (un)birthday IGGPPC! (a love letter of sorts)

Last week the International Geek Girl Pen-paling club celebrated it's third birthday! I joined the club a year ago and was quickly paired with my own iggle (that's wbat members call themselves). The penpals are disburse dafter monthly rounds which are usually themed and sign up is easy. After visiting the website (here), you are asked to fill out a short form with your name and email, and provide five of your geeky interests.

I just signed up for another penpal and my list included:

• Disney

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• Horror films

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• Comic Books

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• Reading

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• Kawaii

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My first penpal and I were featured on the IGGPPC blog this month as part of their birthday celebration.to learn more about our story click here.In the year I have known Bree we have become close friends through lengthy letters, social media, and texts. This year we opened our christmas gifts on Skype so we could see each other's reactions. I am always amazed with how thoughtful she is and we have gained a deeper friendship because we can be more open, honest, and build a connection through snail mail.We live in such a digital age that it is actually nice to sit down and plan a letter. Alas, Geek Girl Penpals is more than a group of hardcore lady types who share a love of stationary goods, it is also a community of like minded individuals that are extremely active on social media. The club hosts events for everything including read-a-longs, movies, and even a digital summer camp. If I have ever wanted to discuss fandom but find that none or few of my IRL friends share that interest (like my current obsession Zodiac Starforce) the iggles are always a tweet away to indulge my nerdy whims. When I was hospitalized (see last entry). Bree organized a valentines/galentines/get well card drive for me. It meant a lot to receive that many cards from the iggles.

I also received two drawings from the lovely Whimsy and Noir (who is also an iggle) and I have Jem makeup in the smaller one. I also have a strange desire to die my hair blue and orange now!

Are you a member of the IGGPPC? Have you ever had a penpal?

an unfortunate update

I haven't blogged in what seems like forever so I thought I would post a bit of an update. About a month ago I was hospitalized again. I initially went to the emergency room thinking I had bronchitis or pneumonias because I was experiencing congestion and was having trouble breathing. At that point in time I had been dealing with the return of my acid reflux as well. I was getting sick almost nightly and on medication to help keep food down, if possible. It all started to become clear when the tech that was taking x-rays of my chest suddenly yelled, “What the heck is that?” Not exactly what you want to hear after an x-ray. As it turns out my stomach had moved up into my chest cavity and was pressing on my heart, lungs, and against my spine. It became clear that I needed to have surgery for a second time in little over a year. Because this was my second surgery, there was a lot of scar tissue and it could not be done endoscopically. I was also incredibly malnourished which made surgery even more risky. Thankfully, I was transferred to a hospital in Dallas with a surgeon that put my concerns at ease. I was on something called TPN for about a week before surgery. I could not hold down food so I had to have an 18ga IV of nutrients that went directly from my upper arm into my chest. It provided all the nutrition I would need and even had a handy port for drawing blood so that I would not need to be stuck often.

The surgery itself was extensive. Again, because this was my second go, I would need a larger incision that would go from the bottom of my chest to my belly button. The surgeon opened me up, brought my stomach down, wrapped my esophagus, and inserted a pig skin mesh to keep my stomach in place. To be honest, it felt completely like a horror film.

Recover has also been difficult. Ultimately, I spent three weeks in the hospital. As a result, I had to withdraw from my classes and am currently in the process of paying back financial aid. Emotionally, this has been a real struggle because I had formed an identity around being a student and I was so close to the finish line. This was going to be my last semester before my AA and considering I had obtained my GED and spent the last 2 years being an A student, it has been difficult to swallow.

  Physical recovery has been difficult as well. I left the hospital with twelve metal staples down the middle of my abdomen. You really never think about how much you use your muscles until you lose the ability to. I had to learn how to do simply things like using my legs and arms to push up from a chair. As a person with limited mobility already this has been a nightmare. I cannot use the walker I am familiar with because I cannot walk with my arms in front of me. I have to use a “granny style” walker instead. I also have to use an oversized wheelchair that dwarfs my small frame. My muscles are still really weak and wheelchair I currently use is so big that I have to rely on someone to push me. My insurance will not cover the style of wheelchair I want and at over $2,000 it is too much for me to afford on my own. I am still waiting to see how much of my hospital stay my insurance will cover. The hospital estimate that was sent to my home is about $94,000.

 I am overwhelmed financially, emotionally, and physically.

Thankfully, I have amazing people in my life and a friend of mine started a gofundme to help lessen the financial burden I am facing. We have raised over 900 dollars so far! The money I owed the school was $925 but gofundme also takes a cut of whatever you raise. If you would like to donate please click the link below. If you are reading this and have already donated, I am beyond grateful. Thank you.