It is my delight to inform everyone that thanks to the help from ChocolateKitsune, BabyStar, many friends and friends-of-friends, and all the people who donated... we have reached, and exceeded, the $2000 goal to fully recover the money that was scammed from my dad back in December! Thank you all so much!

The YCH from BabyStar at https://www.furaffinity.net/view/59571428/ proved wildly popular, and I simply can not thank her enough for all the work she put into it despite everything she has been dealing with. I have already shared with her the message my father wrote after I surprised him with the donations, and now I share it with everyone:

To so many recent donors:

I don't have enough words to properly express my gratitude to all of you who prayed for me, cheered me on, and contributed financially during my recent ordeal at the hands of a couple of "con artists." I admit that my belief in their words was silly, and I believe I've learned a serious lesson. But more than anything else, I've learned how important you all were to my recovery...and I will always remember.

Thank you for your kindness and your generosity.

There are still challenges, with many surprise expenses already popping up this year including my dad having to spend three days in the ICU after having more angioplasties and uncontrollable blood pressure. So we are working through it all, but it's a struggle. For that reason I will leave my ko-fi page up just in case anyone would like to help: https://ko-fi.com/drifterkitty

Your support has meant so much. It gave us hope when we were in a very dark time. This community is amazing, and I am so happy to be part of it. Thank you all!

First and foremost, in the most spectacular news of all, the YCH from BabyStar at https://www.furaffinity.net/view/59571428/ has generated enough donations to recover more than half the amount stolen from my dad by the scammers. Combined with the donations received separately, this has pushed the grand total...all the way to the goal! We have broken the $2000 mark! To be precise, $2005... and after paypal's fees, the actual net still comes out to $1,899.35 - pretty close!

The YCH and ko-fi will still remain active for now if anyone would like to help us cross that finish line: https://ko-fi.com/post/Scammed-Help.....ase-O4O416YAZ3

Keep an eye on Choco's page too, because with a surge like this it's bound to be updated soon! https://support.the.choco.one/2024/.....cy-fundraiser/

There is still bad news and challenges, like the $700 in surprise expenses I wrote about previously, then yesterday he expected an MRI bill to be $30 but it turned out to be $150. We had also been hoping to receive some income in a couple weeks from his job, but today the client on the other side cancelled. He would have only earned $995 for about eight weeks of work, but now he has to start over again. So we are not out of the woods, but everyone's support gives us hope.

Honestly I have never seen my dad feel more like an "old man" than he has over the past couple months due to this, and it's heavily affected his attitude and behavior toward me and the world. He feels defeated and lost. His anxiety has been terrible, he's had constant trouble sleeping, he's quick to anger, and he's been having frequent chest pain that is concerning his cardiologist - he already has over a half dozen stents. He's been talking a lot about his childhood and how he managed to pull himself out of poverty to become a successful professional for years, only to lose it all again. I am really hoping that seeing he has support, knowing that there is light ahead, helps shift things for him and rekindle his spirit.

Although there are some awful people in the world, this situation has also shown the goodness in others, especially the way our community is willing to lift each other up. The gofundme had no success despite spreading it to various places - even a nurse during one of my back pain procedures asked for the link to share around the office, but still nobody donated. But the furry community is made up of an amazing group of people. Everyone who was willing to help before, and now the influx of people who are interested in the YCH for a good cause, are still only part of it. I have also been receiving notes from people offering sympathy, prayers, and an emotional pat on the back that is sorely needed.

It's all meant so much to me. I have tried to focus on helping my dad, on his situation, finances, health, emotions... I've tried to stay relatively stoic. But the truth is the stress and anxiety and depression are just as bad for me, and I'm in the position of needing to care for both him and myself. So this support from everyone is really deeply overwhelming in the best way.

Thank you all so very much.

In truly amazing news  babystar has offered to help raise funds for my dad through a YCH she is offering here: https://www.furaffinity.net/view/59571428/

When we spoke I was just hoping she might be able to spread the word, but she surprised me by putting together a silly YCH that I'm sure many can relate to in our community. Please take a look!

Chocolatekitsune is also keeping an eye on the fundraising progress, and looks forward to getting to post updates at https://support.the.choco.one/2024/.....cy-fundraiser/ as milestones are reached.

My original post about the scam that stole from my dad is here: https://ko-fi.com/post/Scammed-Help.....ase-O4O416YAZ3

The situation has not changed much since the last update. Donations mostly halted with the new year, though we have managed to reach $745 total (before paypal fees) thanks to everyone's help. I managed to identify the phone number that was used by the scammers and reported it to the police, but they still have not responded. (Despite being marked as private in the phone, our phone carrier's logs had the number.) At one person's suggestion I even contacted a scammer payback group, but they wrote back that this is unfortunately a type of scam that gets reported to them all the time, but that they can not help with -- my guess is because it was only by phone, so there's no digital fingerprint for them to track.

Unfortunately, we were also hit by a couple of unexpectedly high expenses -- over $500 in professional dues and nearly $200 in identity theft protection for my dad... something that sadly could not help with this situation, but his identity has been stolen three times in the past, so it's important to keep that insurance active. And despite any lesson he may have learned from the scam, my dad still tried to hide these costs from me so that I wouldn't worry...and almost let them go overdue, which would have incurred penalties and suspended his license. It all had to be put on a credit card, but at least now it's paid.

I also have more old artwork that I look forward to sharing with everyone, especially now that upload policies are a bit better defined. It was recommended that I wait until more donations arrived. I think now, with Star's and Choco's help, friends raising awareness and everyone chipping in, those milestones may be in sight.

Thank you everyone!

With the new year we could still really use some help at https://ko-fi.com/post/Scammed-Help.....ase-O4O416YAZ3

Thanks to generous donations we have raised $685 so far to help my dad, but the mortgage is now due again and it's going to hurt. He also needs to make his first payment on the emergency loan from his friend, who has agreed to space it out over several months but must be repaid. He received his social security income near the end of last month, but these expenses and more have already laid claim to nearly all of it and it's only the first week of the year.

It has been suggested that I should delay posting further artwork until more donations have been received, and share them as fundraiser milestones. Chocolatekitsune has also already prepared a milestone picture of her own design at https://support.the.choco.one/2024/.....cy-fundraiser/ with the potential for more if donations continue. What do you think?

I'd really like to share these all with you, including works from artists long gone and never-before-seen images. Big and little, old and new, naughty and nice...

There are a number of friends trying to raise awareness. I am so grateful for their compassion and support as we try to figure out new ways to generate attention and donations.

So to assist with that, I want to open the floor to everyone's input. What would you like to see? With artwork, what scenario might you imagine for Drifty? Or Fiona? Or even a little lalafell? With stories, what kind of writing do you like, what makes you smile or squirm? Would there be interest in some kind of tabletop fundraising stream? I welcome your ideas.

And I thank you all.

Thanks to the generous help of a number of people, as of the 16th the fundraiser to help my dad has crossed $500 on its way to the $2000 goal. I am incredibly grateful to everyone who has sent support and spread the word.

For those who do not know the details, my father was scammed out of $2000 at the start of the month, leaving him with less than $700 in his account the day before the mortgage payment hit. My ko-fi post has more information: https://ko-fi.com/post/Scammed-Help.....ase-O4O416YAZ3

Chocolatekitsune has also created an intriguing post on her site as incentive. Please take a look and enjoy! https://support.the.choco.one/2024/.....cy-fundraiser/

I appreciate any assistance you can offer no matter how small. I do not like asking for help, but we need it at this point. I plan to take control of my dad's finances to prevent something like this from happening again, or at least establishing a withdrawal limit with his bank, but first we need to rebuild. He feels terrible and I need to give him hope. With the community's help, I know it is possible.

Chocolatekitsune has created a post on her site with some artwork incentive to help me handle the current situation and rebuild after my father was scammed. Please take a look and enjoy! I would appreciate any assistance you can offer no matter how small, even if all it means is spreading the word. https://support.the.choco.one/2024/.....cy-fundraiser/

My situation just became even more complicated this week when I abruptly received notice that my medicaid is being canceled, supposedly because they did not receive the renewal application. The problem with that is they did receive it and it's timestamped in their system. But even though I can show them the application and the email they sent me saying that it was received, they have no record of it and can not find where that email came from. The best explanation they could offer is that someone on their end may have transposed some numbers while entering my information, swapping my case number for another (which is never supposed to change) and thus broke the entire account so that nothing anyone does connects to where it should... and they can not fix it because it's over their heads.

They made many notes to escalate the ticket and are hoping to have someone higher up resolve things before Christmas, but said it could take up to 90 days. Unfortunately I had an outpatient procedure today, and another next week, and more early next year, and nobody knows if they will be covered. If things are properly resolved it should eventually be paid in arrears, but I may have to pay out-of-pocket until then with money I don't have. So the whole situation is incredibly nerve-wracking on top of everything else going on, and I am very much at my mental and emotional limit - or quite a leap beyond it.

My father was scammed at the start of the month and we are in panic mode. Please read my post on ko-fi. I hate asking for help, but I don't think I have a choice. Even if you can't help, I'd appreciate if you could still look at the post and spread the word. Thank you.

https://ko-fi.com/post/Scammed-Help.....ase-O4O416YAZ3

I am looking for any recommendations on where to find footed sleepers. The catch is they need to be simple solid colors or at least mostly plain, and without a drop seat or hood. I can't do anything too elaborate or cutesy...and just don't like drop seats. A plain one I can get away with wearing casually, while anything too babyish will raise some eyebrows. The feet have completely disintegrated on my old one because it was a bit too big for me and they would flop and drag on the floor. Department stores sell union suits these days, but they're footless and terribly hot to wear for any real period of time. Good jammies breathe better. The last time I asked, The All in One Company was suggested - which is super customizable but with a price tag to match and overseas shipping costs. Sadly more than I could manage.

Thanks for any help!

Does anyone have a recommendation for a good gaming or high-backed office chair that is NOT bonded leather?

The big problem I have with gaming chairs is that bonded leather tends to break down and start to peel within 6-12 months. And further complicating finding a replacement is that many now advertise themselves as "PU Leather" which is really just bonded leather rather than actual "PU" polyurethane.

I also prefer arm rests that attach to the back, if possible. My current chair has adjustable ones that swing upward, allowing me to rest my elbow when leaning back and to push the chair further under the desk when not in use - which is quite nice since space is limited. Most gaming chairs only mount them to the seat itself.

But if anyone can point me at something good that at least isn't bonded leather, I'd appreciate it. I've gone through three of these chairs in less than six years because they keep disintegrating.

I suppose I should make it clear that I survived. It was an awful month - yes, a full month of Covid-19. But by the end of January I had mostly recovered, with the exception of two symptoms that are still lingering now in March - yucky sinus drainage, particularly at night, and an intense craving for salt. The salt craving is obnoxious. I'm going through stacks of crackers and chips. Gaining weight from the amount of salty carbs I'm consuming. My doctor ran some bloodwork and it checked out fine, but this is ridiculous. I'm not expecting to do any further follow-up with him until at least June, including for a vaccine, because he wants to see more results of the various vaccines in people who have already had covid before recommending a specific one. On the plus side, the antibody test showed I now have ample protection for the time being, and a natural immune response is typically more robust than one provided by the vaccines. How long it will last, however, nobody knows.

Yep, I definitely have it. Confirmed yesterday, though I've been feeling lousy for over a week. It started getting worse on Christmas and has been deteriorating since. Imagine a particularly nasty flu with all its normal symptoms, but with the "full body ache" pain levels cranked up so that every bit of your body feels like it's cramping at the same time. The fever and chills are no fun either, and sleeping is incredibly difficult when every position hurts. I thought I was lucky to have avoided the loss of taste & smell, but nope - those just randomly disappeared last night. Weird experience, like food is hollow and your body knows there should be a taste there but can't find it. So far no actual breathing problems, but I can't rule it out since this is still developing.

Not the ideal way to ring in the new year.

Does anyone know where I can find a good quality adult footed sleeper? I could really use some cozy jammies. Unfortunately the ones I have are falling apart and the company is long gone.

Stores like Walmart & Target now sell "union suits", but they're footless and the grumpy bear one I tried on in the past was absolutely sweltering.