The poll ended so here we go again! Round 2!
If you’ve seen the old post and voted on it, this is your chance to give an updated answer! Show me what you’ve learned! :)
Let me tell you a little about Multiple sclerosis (MS). MS is an autoimmune disease, which means that the immune system starts attacking some part of the body. In the case of MS, the immune system attacks the central nervous system. If you didn't know, the central nervous system includes the brain and spinal cord, and as you can imagine, damage to that can have disastrous effects on your ability to function. Damage often happens in "attacks", and symptoms tend to get worse over time. The symptoms that damaging the central nervous system can result in are so numerous that it has its own wikipedia page (Signs and symptoms of multiple sclerosis), but to list a few that may occur: fatigue, difficulty walking, incontinence, blurred vision, cognitive impairment, depression, speech problems, hearing loss, tremors, and pain. It can be very debilitating at the best of times, but it will turn bad times into much, much worse times.
ID: An info card. On the left is a photo of a woman who is holding her head and making a pained expression. On the right is text that reads: “Long-term or excessive stress can affect health and may make the symptoms of MS seem worse Read more: mstrust.org.uk/a-z/stress” in the corner is the logo for the Multiple Sclerosis Trust. End ID.
MS cannot be cured, but there are treatments that can prevent it from getting progressively worse, and reduce relapse rate. This is incredible news, except these treatments can be prohibitively expensive. On an order of magnitude that can be hard to comprehend. In a country like mine where healthcare is largely paid for by the state, one dose of something like Ocrevus still comes out as between 50,000kr-100,000kr (€4,300-€8,600), and you have to take it twice annually (for clarity: I do not have MS). In the US it costs $78,858 annually without insurance.
Now, I want you to imagine having to deal with something like MS, while also trying to survive a genocide.
ID: A drawing of a dove flying. It has tears in its eyes and an olive branch in its beak. The background is the flag of Palestine. End ID.
I want to tell you a little about Hala Daoud. Hala is in her 40s and has three children: 17 y/o Osama, 13 y/o Lana, and 9 y/o Mohammed. They are living in Gaza, under unimaginable conditions, and Hala has MS.
She is on tumblr @halakamak
I'm sure you know, but the healthcare system in Gaza is all but destroyed. The only chance Hala has to get this treatment is to travel to Egypt, and then pay for the medicine all on her own. The medicine costs $12,000 for a single dose, and getting through the border is not cheap either. On top of that, food and basic necessities have become extremely expensive. If she cannot raise the money for the medicine she needs, her health will continue to deteriorate and she will be left permanently disabled.
Her fudraiser was created all the way back in May, but she has only raised €4,464 out of her €17,000 goal
ID: €4,464 raised, €17K target, 181 donations, 26% reached. End ID.
You have all helped me help her in such an incredible way. Hala did not reach out to me, I found her blog and saw that she was struggling with how to make posts that would appeal to the tumblr crowd. When I first made a post to bring attention to Hala’s fundraiser she had only raised around €1,500, despite being vetted by two different groups. You all helped push it past not just the €2,000 mark, but the €3,000 and €4,000 mark as well. Now I ask you once more to help her, let’s push the fundraiser past €5,000 and beyond❗️
In the last week she has only raised €15! Please, do not let her be forgotten💔
ID: Donations (181): Anonymous, €10, 1 day ago. Someone grayed out, €5, 2 days ago. Anonymous, €50, 9 days ago. End ID.
And if you have nothing at all to give, well first I would ask that you reblog this post of course, but secondly I urge you to keep an eye out for someone who might need extra help with getting their fundraiser seen, on a website they know nothing about, in a language they do not speak. That can help someone raise more money than you could ever hope to donate yourself, especially if you set your mind to it and try again and again.
ID: row #954 on The ButterflyEffect Project. “Fundraiser: https://www.gofundm. Featured by Butterfly Effect Project: No. Country of Fundraiser: Palestine. Contacts Name: Hala Dawoud. Urgent Medical Needs: Yes. Info: A mother with 3 children. Hala suffers from multiple sclerosis who disabled her a lot (autoimmune disease attacking the immune system and affect all the body) and can't access the expensive treatments. Fundraising to evacuate to access medical care.” End ID
🕊️🇵🇸VETTED🕊️🇵🇸 number 307 on @/el-shab-hussein & @/nabulsi's Vetted Gaza Fundraiser List
ID: row #311 on the Vetted Gaza Fundraiser List. “#307, Hala Kamal Younis Dawoud, 4+ family members, vetted by MohAyesh, 1 DISABLED ADULT (MS), HAS MULTIPLE CHILDREN, Help Save a Gaza Mother from MS and Permanent Disability” End ID.