This is not a post about knitting.
This is Emily.
Last year, Emily went to her doctor, struggling with exhaustion that would not leave. After several rounds of medical tests, her doctor determined that Emily's liver was failing and began the process of placing her on the transplant list. While she waited for the donation that would save her life, she was diagnosed with cancer.
Today, Emily is in her first round of chemotherapy, after which she will still need a new liver. Emily's medical expenses are thousands of dollars per month; her prescriptions alone are $35 a day. And because Emily is gay in a state that does not recognize love has no gender, she cannot be on her wife's medical plan.
So much about Emily's situation makes me mad, sad, frustrated. My friend Ann has organized a raffle to help Emily: you can read more about it here.
Emily keeps a journal here, where she writes about her progress.
Most importantly, there is also this website: a place to donate to help Emily.
Donating to Emily's fight against cancer will mean many things:
1. You are helping a human being beat cancer.
2. You can win some truly fabulous prizes: including a sweater hand knit by me for you, a quilt, scads of yarn, patterns, bags, jewelry and more. There's tons more information and pictures on Ann's raffle site here.
3. You are taking a stand against discrimination in this country. Emily is married, just like me and many other people. Unlike me and many other people, she does not have the security of her spouse's medical insurance. I am appalled that Emily cannot pay her medical bills because she is married to a woman. Much about Emily's circumstances make me angry, but this is so unfair, I can hardly see straight enough to type.
Cancer is a nasty enemy, and discrimination is its unfortunate handmaiden.
Fight back and tell Emily you believe in her fight.
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