#i'm not exaggerating when i say that the worsening of her condition is really fucking scary

[homosociallyyours]

This is a post for one of my best friends who's been going through a lot for the past few years. I'll go into more details below, but here's the heart of the matter: My friend has a serious auto-immune condition resulting from the long term after effects of cancer treatments (worsened now by the addition of long COVID to her long list of diagnoses). Over the past few years, she's gotten sicker and sicker and has been forced to change her diet from a vegetarian anti-cancer diet (she's a breast cancer survivor, and fought HARD for her health) to one that's become more and more limited as her body becomes allergic to every food one by one. She's now reached a point where one of the last 2 foods that she was able to eat safely, chicken, is causing an allergic reaction; she has to eat it anyway to survive, so is now very sick all the time.

What can you do?

One of the last hopes that she has to turn things around is something called a fecal microbiome transplant, which has worked miracles for other people with similar issues, but cannot currently be accessed through medical channels in the US for any but one (unrelated) condition. It's really easy to do as a DIY treatment though, it's just hard to find a donor: so we are putting it out there to see if one of you might be able and willing to be that person, or know someone who could do it.

Here is what she has to say about the ask:

Finding the right person to do this is difficult, but actually doing the helping is extremely easy and quick if someone was that person! If you live in the continental US and are fortunate enough to have both physical and mental good health (or know someone or have a child who fit the criteria) and are willing, you might be able to change my life! Please consider clicking through to read more and maybe even come aboard...  (For clarity: this isn't a medical procedure or anything, it is literally just donating poop, there are a few specifics but it is very much from the comfort of your home on your own time.)

You can click here to fill out a google form to see if you might be able to be a donor. The questionaire is detailed: fecal transplant is a bizarre and magical thing in which the patient sometimes can even end up acquiring personal preferences from the donor- the gut microbiome (sometimes called the second brain) is incredible! But this means that any illness, chronic issues, or risk factors you carry may also be transferred to the recipient so while it may feel invasive, getting detailed info in very necessary; I am just too sick already to take on any more problems.

A note- yes, it is possible to buy screened and processed treatments even in the US: unfortunately the cost (~$2k per round of treatment) is way outside my reach, particularly given that it isn't really any better than just getting poop directly from a good candidate (proven via studies), and that often it takes trying a couple donors/ rounds to find a match that gets results. If anyone wants to just buy me that stuff, I sure wouldn't say no to that, but given the severity of my situation (medical and financial; I cannot work due to disability) it is likely I will need to do medical fundraising at some point and I am trying to save that for an even worse point. Also if you have that kind of money to help out honestly it would be better spent on specialists or my astronomical food costs. I will cover all costs associated with this process if I find someone though, of course!

Thank you for reading/boosting/etc, please consider sending the link to possible healthy friends or family who might be a fit, or consider whether you have a child fitting the bill you might be willing to enlist- young microbiomes are the best ones, as children's systems have had less time to be ravaged by the effects of the modern world or the simple deterioration of age.

#signal boost #medical issues #health #please fill out the form at the link that's below the read more #and share this post and/or the survey link with anyone you know who might be a good fit #i'm not exaggerating when i say that the worsening of her condition is really fucking scary #genuinely don't know what i would do without her #also how great would it be to tell everyone your shit is LIFE SAVING??

[alrightsnaps]

How is the relationship between Daemon and Laena in the book? I read a comment that Laena was Daemon's true love, is that true?

Depends on who you ask I guess.

Personally, I'm not really buying into much of the romanticisation of his character by readers. I don't think that man ever truly loved any woman he was involved with (very much including Rhaenyra), certainly not more than he loved himself. I obviously hate how Laena was treated in the show but I can't say that I think they significantly strayed from book canon in Daemon's portrayal; in Fire and Blood he also marries Laena after Rhaenyra's wedding to Laenor, after he's been denied Rhaenyra's hand in marriage and exiled by Viserys.

What I am pissed off about is the way the show seemed to sideline Laena and frame her as a consolation prize in order to prop up Daemon's feelings for Rhaenyra. While I do think Rhaenyra was Daemon's ultimate goal in the book as well, love had nothing to do with it in her case anymore than it did in his marriage to Laena. Both were about his political ambition imo

Much of the talk about him being a devoted husband to Laena or a good father is exaggerated by fans imo too (like the whole Laena/Daemon/Rhaenyra "throuple"), since the book hardly gives us much insight into their relationship (which lasts all of 4 pages) or Daemon as a father.

Prince Daemon fell in love with Laena, the singers would have us believe. Men of a more cynical bent believe the prince saw her as a way to check his own descent. Once seen as his brother’s heir, he had fallen far down in the line of succession, and neither the greens nor the blacks had a place for him…but House Velaryon was powerful enough to defy both parties with impunity. Weary of the Stepstones, and free at last of his “bronze bitch,” Daemon Targaryen asked Lord Corlys for his daughter’s hand in marriage.

Granted it could be said that he treated better than either Rhea (who he openly detested) or Rhaenyra (who he was openly cheating on) but... that's the bare fucking minimum for heaven's sake! I know the bar is on the fucking ground for men when it comes to the asoiaf universe but damn

A scene about him carrying her to her bed before she died doesn't make him husband of the year, especially when he was "comforted" by another woman (who he married before the year's end) before his wife's body grew cold.

And so it was that the princess was at her good-sister’s side on the third day of that accursed year 120 AC, the Year of the Red Spring. A day and a night of labor left Laena Velaryon pale and weak, but finally she gave birth to the son Prince Daemon had so long desired—but the babe was twisted and malformed, and died within the hour. Nor did his mother long survive him. Her grueling labor had drained all of Lady Laena’s strength, and grief weakened her still further, making her helpless before the onset of childbed fever. As her condition steadily worsened, despite the best efforts of Driftmark’s young maester, Prince Daemon flew to Dragonstone and brought back Princess Rhaenyra’s own maester, an older and more experienced man renowned for his skills as a healer. Sadly, Maester Gerardys came too late. After three days of delirium, Lady Laena passed from this mortal coil. She was but twenty-seven. During her final hour, it is said, Lady Laena rose from her bed, pushed away the septas praying over her, and made her way from her room, intent on reaching Vhagar that she might fly one last time before she died. Her strength failed her on the tower steps, however, and it was there she collapsed and died. Her husband, Prince Daemon, carried her back to her bed. Afterward, Mushroom tells us, Princess Rhaenyra sat vigil with him over Lady Laena’s corpse, and comforted him in his grief.

#hotd asks #house of the dragon #laena velaryon #hotd spoilers #anti daemon targaryen