My partner is a Cornell PhD student that was forced to take a health leave of absence in order to receive treatment for a debilitating autoimmune disease that developed after completing the first three years of the program. I am trying anything to help raise funds to help her return.
Having lost all income that was previously covered by the PhD stipend for the last six months, she has been unable to afford or receive the medical treatments needed and is on the cusp of homelessness.
As a very low-income student from out of state with no family support, if she is forced to leave the state, she will likely not be able to complete her program.
Previously, she worked in a virology lab studying infectious diseases, specifically the tropism of newer variants of SARS-CoV-2 across cell lines she created for over 20 different animal species. She is one of the most altruistic people I have met and is the kind of person that brings joy and laughter to the room when she walks in. Her sense of humor has allowed her to communicate the niche findings of her work across audiences of specialists, but more importantly, to the kinds of people (like myself) who do not have this caliber of scientific experience. It is a gift that allows the direct connection of complex scientific findings to the majority of people, regardless of their background. Her health condition was known about in her lab; however, the severity of the condition has escalated with the occurrence of violent seizures, preventing her from returning to complete her research and putting her life at risk the longer medical intervention is postponed due to financial limitations. I am desperate to try anything to help her change this trajectory, and while I know she would be immensely upset that I am doing this without her knowledge, I believe that the community that she has always given of herself without question has the ability to do this random act of kindness to save someone who thinks that they are undeserving and is beautifully too stubborn to ever ask for help.
