Suprina's GoFundMe

This project involved creating a GoFundMe for my sister. The money went towards paying for her medical bills and her first year costs for going to college. In total, we raised $13,420, which was more than we expected. 

I created the GoFundMe fundraiser on the GoFundMe website. I wrote the description and created the marketing materials for the fundraiser. I collected examples of my sister's artwork for the fundraiser and encouraged her to create a video explaining her condition. 

Then I contacted my network and shared the fundraiser. I enlisted my aunt's help in contacting our family in India and my father's friends. The fundraiser lasted about six months. This GoFundMe is connected to Suprina's Graduation Party Invitation.

The description of the GoFundMe was as follows:

Hello, my name is Sunaina Kabadkar, and I am fundraising for my little sister Suprina. This fundraiser is important to me because my little sister has had a really difficult time these last few years and will continue to face difficulties as she starts college this Fall. In August 2020, due to my parent’s divorce and financial reasons, we had to move from our home in Colorado to New Hampshire. The move allowed us to be closer to my mom’s family, providing a larger support system. My mom cannot drive anymore due to a genetic low vision eye condition that has left her legally blind. Because of this, she can only work part-time and has limited financial resources. While it was beneficial for my mom, it was not for Suprina. She had to leave her childhood home and her large network of friends in Colorado and found it challenging to start at a new high school in New Hampshire as a sophomore during Covid.

Fast forward to October 2, 2021, just as Suprina was starting to feel acclimated to her new surroundings, she woke up in the middle of the night with a piercing continuous migraine that did not go away. This debilitating headache caused her to miss a great deal of school, leaving her isolated and depressed. In December 2021, she was diagnosed with New Daily Persistent Headache. The next twenty months were spent figuring out what was causing this consistent daily headache. Suprina visited the emergency room five times, spent four days at Boston Children’s Hospital, had two MRI tests, two CT scans, three x-rays, two sleep studies, one upper endoscopy, numerous blood draws, 118 specialty doctor visits, 43 physical therapy sessions, genetic testing, and tried 55 different prescription medications all in hopes that they would define and fix what ailed her. Amid this health crisis, on May 17, 2022, we learned that our father, Ashwin Kabadkar, had passed away suddenly at 52. This news was devastating to the whole family, and it was very difficult to accept.

About five months later, Suprina finally received a diagnosis of Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome and Fibromyalgia. EDS is a rare connective tissue disorder that affects collagen in the body, leading to joint instability. Joint instability can cause acute and chronic pain, interfering with daily life. Suprina has a specific type called hypermobile EDS which makes her more prone to dislocation and subluxation. Fibromyalgia causes full body muscle pain, weakness, and chronic fatigue. Fibromyalgia, NDPH, and hEDS are all life-long chronic pain conditions. Currently, there are no cures, only treatments to control her pain. Since October 2021, Suprina has had over $55,500 in out-of-pocket medical expenses because of her conditions.

Despite all the struggles, Suprina opened her own Etsy shop and received many NH Scholastic Art Awards. She also received the Silver Medal from the National Scholastic Art Awards and the Derryfield Art Award from her high school. Moving forward, she will attend Rochester Institute of Technology and major in Illustration. The funds that we receive will go directly toward paying for the ongoing out-of-pocket medical bills and to help cover the family contribution for tuition, room, and board at RIT. We would appreciate any support you are able to give. If you are unable to donate, please consider sharing this GoFundMe. Thank you!

To hear directly from Suprina about her experiences with her medical conditions, please watch this video she made:

https://youtu.be/yd3VvVYRgdE?si=wvxOIymt0_9uIWyH

Here are three of her award-winning art pieces:

This piece is a digital art piece called Red. It was inspired by the music video of the song "Ruby" by Woozi. It won the Reginal Silver Key Award from the 2023 NH Scholastic Art Awards.

This piece is a digital art piece called Secrets Album Cover. It was inspired by the Korean pop group Monsta X's song "Secrets" from their One of a Kind album. It won the Silver Medal from the 2023 National Scholastic Art Awards.

This piece is a digital art piece called Tropical Night. It was inspired by Monsta X's song "Tropical Night" from their album The Code. It won the Reginal Silver Key Award from the 2022 NH Scholastic Art Awards.

To see more of Suprina’s artwork, visit her Etsy store at: https://www.etsy.com/shop/nusuksshop/. 

For more information on Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome check out the Ehlers-Danlos Society at: https://www.ehlers-danlos.com.

Update 8/3/23:

We want to sincerely thank everyone who has visited this GoFundMe, watched Suprina’s video, and supported her cause monetarily or by sharing the link. Your kindness, generosity, empathy, compassion, and love are truly humbling!

Suprina is preparing to head off to Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) in a couple of weeks. She has been busy conferring with her team of doctors, finalizing medications, and developing an ongoing treatment plan to ensure her success at RIT. The Disability Services Office at RIT has done an excellent job securing the necessary academic and housing accommodations to assist Suprina while attending college. Suprina will continue to have challenges regarding her health, but she is thankful for every good day she has and excited to experience this new chapter in her life. Please keep Suprina in your thoughts and prayers.

Kind regards,

The Kabadkar Family

This is the link to the deactivated GoFundMe: https://gofund.me/417ef640 

Below is a PDF of the fundraiser: