07/23/2026
Today I smiled for my child as she took my picture, then I cried on the phone with my doctor.
The weight of all the things has become too much.
Trying to understand my health, manage symptoms, learn a new way of cooking and eating, coordinate specialists, schedule procedures, keep up with paperwork, appeal my medicaid denial that took 7 weeks to be issued (leaving me uninsured), make money, and solo parent a little human I love so much… it feels like I’m carrying the load of at least four people. And the load before this wasn’t easy or sustainable in the first place.
And I keep wondering: when do I actually get to rest? When does my body get the space to recover? How can I heal when the workload and responsibilities of managing multiple complex chronic illnesses keeps growing? In a country that doesn’t provide universal health care and has so many barriers to accessing care?
I’m grateful that my new primary care doctor listened and is helping connect me with a social worker. I’m grateful for the people who have stepped in, for friends who love my child and give us support, for every little piece of community holding us up.
I’m doing everything I can to keep moving forward. Advocating for my health, caring for my kid, and trying to keep my creative business I’ve worked so hard to build going. But the financial and emotional strain of being sick while navigating care has been overwhelming.
If you feel called to support us, sharing my GoFundMe helps more than I can say. Donations help cover the gaps while I focus on getting medical care, managing symptoms, and keeping our little family stable.
If you’ve already shared, donated, checked in, helped with Sylvan, or simply cheered us on, thank you. I truly mean it when I say community is what is carrying us right now. 🫂
To donate and share copy this link: https://www.gofundme.com/f/courtney-sylvan
