06/15/2025
Todayby Sara Cole, Organizer
LIFE-OR-DEATH UPDATE — PLEASE READ
This email update isn’t just about a finger surgery. It’s about whether I get the chance to keep going.
First - the great news.
Several months ago, doctors told me I couldn’t safely undergo the surgeries I need unless I made a drastic change -- lose weightbor lose the abulity have your hands surgically repaired. I was devastated—and yet, as always, determined.
I lost a third of my body weight.
I did it while healing from trauma.
I did it while in chronic pain.
I did it while disabled, threatened with being unhoused, mostly isolated from friends and family and afraid.
That kind of transformation only happens when you’re trying to survive.
I did it so I could live long enough to heal—and teach again.
Because teaching is my purpose.
Art is my lifeline.
And this body—wounded as it is—is still mine.
But this past week, I got new medical news that shook everything.
Doctors just found tumors in my brain.
Likely benign, but large enough to cause:
Seizure-like episodes
Mini-stroke symptoms
Dangerous cognitive changes
This is in addition to:
A massive spinal canal tumor pressing on my spinal cord
A life-threatening immune disorder
Over 20 tumors throughout my body (adrenal glands, kidneys, liver, spine)
Severe nerve damage and hand injuries from an assault in February
Fibromyalgia, chronic migraines, CPTSD, and more
I need:
Brain imaging
Neurology consults
A decision about biopsy, surgery, or radiation
And possibly several hospital visits or extended stays
But I can’t do any of that if I lose my housing.
I’m less than two weeks away from losing the roof over my head.
Without housing, I can’t have outpatient procedures.
Without housing, I can’t heal.
Without housing, I’m back on the street—with a broken immune system and a spinal tumor.
So here’s the truth:
If you’ve ever thought about helping me, please—this is the moment.
Even $5 makes a difference.
Even one share.
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Thank you for being here. For caring. For helping me hold the line.
This isn’t just a fundraiser. This is a fight for my life.
And with your help—I still believe I can win.
With all my love,
Sara Cole