We're currently going through some major changes and are expecting that some orders will have an extended processing time, but also going through a couple emergency situations that really need immediate funding. Typically I would run a sale to help raise funds but as I'm already dealing with significantly delayed orders from previous months I don't want to make the problem worse. So I've decided to offer 30% off for those who aren't in a hurry and will be ok with it taking longer to receive their order. Read on below to learn what's going on and get your coupon code!

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This actually started last spring. I had moved into a new house several months prior and unknown to me it hadn't actually been renovated as promised and contained high levels of toxic mold, and by spring it had so severely impacted my health that I ended up hospitalized on dialysis for a month, then another month outpatient. This of course caused orders to get considerably backed up, especially as one of the most common wires I use had been backordered for 6 months at that point. I'd even had to remove many of the size options for some of the splints.

I also ended up in a dispute with my landlord as they didn't want to fix the mold issue and ended up moving in November, which further delayed orders as I'm severely disabled and it put a great deal of strain on me physically. I'd also been without reliable help the entire time and finally found someone in December, but only part time 20-30 hours a week. 

I worked 80+ hour weeks from then, determined to get all orders out ASAP and get back to our normal work flow and processing time. We finally reached that point in April. I was elated and started moving forward with an expansion I'd been planning on for quite some time, ordering all the necessary equipment and materials. Unfortunately before they even arrived I woke up one morning with both of my thumbs swollen and painfully snapping. I'd developed trigger thumb in both hands from overworking them, significantly slowing me down and making me completely unable to create the thumb IP/MCP splint, as well as use an integral piece of equipment necessary for creating splints, leaving me reliant on my assistant to get anything done...and from there it got worse.

In mid May her service dog, who was her everything, suddenly became severely ill and had to be admitted to the critical care unit. He'd been prescribed steroids to help with a recurrent skin infection but had a bad reaction causing diabetic ketoacidosis, which made his kidneys shut down. His care cost $2,000 a day even with her pet insurance so I ran a huge sale to help raise funds for his care for the last two weeks of May, there's no way I could've just sat back and let him pass because she couldn't afford his care. Sadly ten days later due to the doctors negligence he passed away on May 25th anyways, and my assistant was crushed. She wasn't in for work at all from when he got sick through mid June, and when she came back she severely cut her hours. She struggled with her grief and ultimately stopped working, leaving me on my own with hundreds of orders and damaged hands.

And I'm still working on those orders.

And to top it off, I hadn't realized the metal markets took a huge 25% jump in May, so combined with the inflation of all the other supplies I was selling at a loss for May, June, and July. I've been really struggling and letting medical issues go because I can't afford them. I'm one of the Zebras who was gifted with serious dental issues and have needed dentures for a decade. Two teeth cracked a few months back and I've been battling recurrent infections so desperately need them pulled. While I do have insurance there's only one dental surgeon covered anywhere near me and he absolutely butchered me last time, so there's no way I'm going back.

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The unfortunate result of this is that it kicked me into high stress mode. I was devastated to be back in the same position just weeks after finally catching up (and if I'm being honest, I'm still really struggling with the hopelessness and loss of my freedom) and compulsively driven to work every possible second I could, trying desperately not to fall further behind. From mid May through the start of August I was skipping sleep 1-2 nights a week so I could work instead, and by the end of June my gastroparesis had flared up from the stress to the point I couldn't eat at all. But I kept pushing anyways, and by the end of the first week of August my body finally gave out. I was in a state of severe clinical burnout and adrenal insufficiency. I spent a week bedridden from the pain, then another from the fatigue sleeping 12-16 hours a day and barely able to stand. The third week I was put on steroids and able to make it out of bed, but didn't get much done as I couldn't tolerate being up for more than a few hours a day. Thankfully the steroids started working after a while and I was back up and running. I now have full time help for the first time since summer 2022-and a roommate! The last two weeks we've been making incredible progress, getting 75 orders out over the first week of September alone and currently have another 40 waiting here.

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But we've got another problem. A couple actually. Firstly, my car needs significant repairs and currently I'm not able to drive further than the corner store, and we need to get that fixed ASAP. My assistant had been doing errands with me so I hadn't really needed it for quite some time, but now I've no way to do groceries or laundry or appointments. The other issue is the major one-my current landlord is illegally evicting me over my disability. He wants rent to be paid in cash (yes, this is illegal. And me telling him it's illegal made him even angrier), and as I'd been too sick to be able to drive to the bank I had to pay with a money order from the post office. This started a chain of events that's led to weeks of constant harassment, and over two weeks ago he cut my propane utility so I've been without hot water or a stove, and now he's trying to cut the internet because he knows I have no contact with the outside world and wouldn't be able to work. Obviously this is a very scary and stressful situation, and certainly not helping with my recovery. It's additionally significantly interfering with my ability to work as it's kicked the AuDHD symptoms into high gear and my executive function went out the window, I'm having a very difficult time with my memory, prioritizing the overwhelming amount of tasks, and staying organized. I've also been forced to spend hours nearly every day writing and responding to emails, filing and responding to complaints, working with the police and code enforcement, working with the Attorney General, and researching laws to print out to send formal cease and desist and rent withholding notices to the landlord. It has been a nightmare.

 

Having full time help and a second person immediately available when needed is getting us back on track quickly and we're flying through the orders, but we still have a ways to go and right now we desperately need help to get the car fixed and obtain a lawyer to fight being illegally displaced. As long as we can keep moving through like we are we should be caught up within the next month or so, but right now there's just a lot of unknowns with everything going on.

So if you're not in a hurry and want to help out, you can use coupon code "FightForRights" to take 30% off your order ❤

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I will also be setting up a GoFundMe and can accept donations on CashApp as well under $zebrasplints (since I'd had so many requests last time)

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Thanks so much for everyone's support and patience during this difficult time, we truly appreciate you!

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