I got told by someone who manages a mutual aid resource that I was getting suspended for asking constantly for help.
I know she meant well, she wants this resource to flourish and help many people in the years to come.
But I still got suspended for 12 weeks.
The reason was donors fatigue. Like genuinely, look it up, it's apparently a real thing.
People got tired of seeing me weekly ask for help to afford groceries, medication, my healthcare monthly renewal, rent, house repairs to deal with the humidity, black mold, rust, falling roof, falling ceiling, falling wall or the water leak in the lightbulb and many other things.
The thing is I am chronically ill, I have no degree or higher education than my high school certificate, my partner is the same except for some english certificates that he has an advanced language.
We take care of our kids, the cats we've rescued from the streets and his parents and sister after they lost everything in a house fire.
We are always struggling to stay afloat paying the bills, keeping a roof on our heads and feeding our family while chronically ill, with chronic pain, dare I say some of us are disabled.
And people got tired of us. I got told because I keep changing what our main need/goal is I look like a scammer.
And ok, I get it, it must be really hard to see people struggle all the time to stay alive when all you want is to share a funny meme, cat pics, fanart and fan fiction.
But what about begging fatigue? What about poor fatigue?
Having to shake our can and beg for a kofi every day is exhausting. And no amount seems to fix our struggles and get us out of the red because by the time we get some help our bills are already overdue, we've got extra charges, we no longer need only the groceries and regular medication, now we need to run to the hospital or we already did and all that stacks up.
And every day, every week, month after month, year after year it just gets worse.
Chronic illness and disability are disabling in more than the physical way, we are shunned from every place for being considered a burden.
Show more compassion, you have no idea how hard it is.