rose rooted

The kind of disabilities that make you reliant on a powerchair often make sitting up at all very difficult, and affect movement to the point where using a joystick can be physically tiring.

And then there’s the cognitive load of using a powerchair, especially in public. I have to be aware of my surroundings to a degree that non disabled people often can’t understand. I’m watching pavement widths, where dropped curbs are likely to be, and how steep the camber is. I’m seeing if there are any bicycles, signs vegetation or other obstacles blocking the path in the next 100m (because the pavement is too narrow to turn round on if I miss something). I’m looking out for mobility aid users or people with pushchairs coming the other way because the path isn’t wide enough for both of us.

And in a crowd I’m paying attention to who is distracted by their phone, who is window shopping and might absent minded step backwards into me, who is likely to do something unpredictable, who has a young child or a dog I need to be aware of.

and that constantly putting the onus on the people who have to live with these illnesses to simply "get better" is an incredibly shitty thing to do

and that it's not "toxic" for chronically ill and disabled people to feel down, and occasionally talk about how down they feel, in a world which continually disregards their suffering and makes their lives much more difficult than they need to be, sometimes deliberately

and that telling these people that they continue to be ill only because they haven't tried a certain exercise, supplement, therapy or diet will only further damage their health by causing them stress

and that doctors are not only not infallible magic-workers, but are very often actively prejudiced against their patients; especially female patients and patients who belong to marginalised and minority groups

please just understand this and accept that the chronically-ill and disabled people you speak to know more about their health and their limitations and what works or doesn't work for them than you ever could

The infrastructure of the internet and the state of the media in general has never been worse for allowing people to feel connected to one another in response to a tragedy. It is very hard to feel a sense of community and very easy to feel isolated and afraid - which is why it's so important for us all to keep finding ways to love one another and to be there for each other in spite of it.

I never thought I would write these words… 😔

I never imagined waking up to endless screams,

Running barefoot through smoke and fire,

Searching for my mother among the rubble,

Only to find nothing but silence… a heavy silence telling me that no one will answer me anymore. 💔

In one moment, everything changed.

Our home became a memory, my mother’s embrace became the past,

And my father's face, now absent, is the last thing I hold in my memory.

They’re gone… and left my heart burdened with unspoken grief. 😢

But despite everything, we are still here… trying.

I survived with my younger siblings.

Yes, we survived… but who are we after survival?

Children without warmth, without a roof, with no place to return to.

We were displaced to an unknown place, carrying a bag empty of everything… except pain. 🥀

We slept in the open, waking every morning to a life that holds nothing for us,

But despite everything… we keep trying. 💪

I write to you today not to cry, but to ask for hope. 🌱

I ask you to be a small light in this vast darkness,

To extend a hand that can mend what the war has broken in us.

Your donation will give my siblings a chance to sleep safely,

It will provide us with food, shelter, and maybe even a new beginning. 💖

✅️Vetted by @gazavetters, my number verified on the list is ( #586 )✅️

Any amount, no matter how small, is big for us

It’s a prayer, it’s love, it’s life. 🌟

In conclusion...

From my heart, and from the hearts of my little siblings,

Thank you to everyone who has donated,

Thank you to everyone who has read,

Thank you to everyone who has shared.