Bid on (or buy outright!) local art, jewelry, crafts, gift cards and more to benefit Keilani Lime.
This online Holiday Market & Silent Auction will be held on https://www.32auctions.com/Limelightfundraiser and run from noon on November 15th to noon on Giving Tuesday, November 28th.
Local donors include: The Lily Boutique, Vergennes | Sundara Skincare, Vermont | Vermont Comedy Club | Steve Sharon | Will C. | Amanda Smith | Lexi Dickerson | Here Comes the Tide, RI/Nani Cherenzia | Pleasant Ranch/Steve Hadeka | Raphella Brice | Karin Lee Lime Designs | and Keilani Lime!
About the beneficiary:
From the time she was a kid, Keilani suffered more bumps and bruises than most. An avid soccer player, she was always injuring one limb or another — a broken finger here, a dislocated shoulder there. Her MD's just thought she was accident-prone, never imagining that her ever-growing list of maladies was a sign that something was seriously wrong.
In her 20s, she stumbled into a run of mysterious (seemingly unrelated) health issues that bewildered one MD after another. It was only after several years and countless surgeries that an underlying culprit was finally discovered. In '21, Kei was diagnosed with classical Ehlers-Danlos syndrome.
EDS is a rare, genetic connective-tissue disorder that affects, well, everything. In short, Kei's body doesn't produce collagen correctly. Collagen is the glue that holds your body together. If it doesn't work, it causes all kinds of problems, from the sort-of funny (stretchy skin, extra bendy limbs) to the downright scary, like organ prolapse.
In the past three years alone — basically since she turned 30 — Kei has endured well over 50 surgeries and procedures, including bilateral hip replacements, brain surgery, spine surgery and, this April, a hysterectomy. Before the year is out, she's expected to go under the knife again, both for routine procedures and a revision to one of her hip replacements.
As anyone familiar with the US healthcare system might imagine, she has accrued debilitating debt along the way. Some of it stems from copays, deductibles and procedures insurance doesn't cover. But there are smaller, hidden costs of being sick, too, that are as daunting as they add up: medications, equipment, travel and dietary supplements, to name a few. As if that wasn't enough, Kei was laid off from her job in '22 as she was recovering from brain surgery. She has been unable to work since.
Through it all, Kei has maintained her ineffable spirit and effervescent charm. She's bravely continued her work as an artist and as an advocate for disability rights. But even heroes sometimes need help. So we're throwing her benefit that's reflective of her passions as an artist, activist and devoted friend, called Limelight.
Direct donations to Keilani's medical relief fund can be made at https://gofund.me/4f265b50
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