Jessica Allyn

Facebook invite: http://tinyurl.com/ygr8jyw

Otto’s Shrunken Head
538 E. 14th St.
New York, NY
btwn. Ave A & B

Start time: Thursday 10/22/09 7pm
End time: Friday 10/23/09 1am

Gonna be in town for CMJ?
Sure you are! Who isn’t?

Well we’re playing another show at Otto’s Shrunken Head
- the most punk rock tiki bar there ever was.

We’ll also be sharing the stage with some INCREDIBLE talent.

Other artists include:
Emilyn Brodsky
Family of the Year (acoustic)
Good Night, States
Mike Fiore (Faces on Film)
Mini-Boone
RENMINBI
Shoestrung

You do not want to miss this!

Mark you calendars for 10/22 at 7pm
more info to follow…

P.S. This is a 21+ event.
Once again, sorry kids!!
xx

First off, I just want to thank everyone who has supported me during this ordeal. To everyone who has RT’d or donated, thank you. Your generosity has helped me immensely.
To all the other struggling artists, who have helped to get the word out, thank you. I know times are tough for everyone, so I appreciate all your love.

My Family and I are trying to negotiate with the hospital to bring my bill down to something “NORMAL”. 200K is beyond ridiculous. I also qualify for Medicaid, which will help out a lot. So, there are ways to work around astronomical health care bills. But, obviously this is a billion dollar business, and they want their money. I have already received my first bill, not even a week out of the hospital. $200 just for a pelvic sonogram. $200 to look at my “hooha” with a scope. Pricey! Hm? – I feel really awful putting my family through the stress of having to come up with money for this. I’m an adult, 25 years old, I should be able to take care of myself. But, there is no health care for a starving artist. You either succumb to working in the bowels of Cubicleland in order to acquire insurance, or you’re out on the street.

This needs to change! We need a new health care reform, ASAP!
As a community we need to fight for this! Not just for me, but for everyone like me.
I went 6 years without insurance before I ended up working for an insurance company. I know what they are like. They are evil. They don’t want to help you. They just want your money. And that is not what health CARE is about. It shouldn’t be.
People who need medical attention should receive it regardless of their financial status.
If you are sick, you should be treated!
I remember sitting in the ER and receiving the nastiest looks from the admitting nurses. As if they were annoyed by the fact that I wasn’t insured. They looked at me, and treated me like a leech. I recall my Dr. saying to my Mother “we know this is a procedure in which we’re working for practically nothing, but we have to do what we have to do.” It made me feel like garbage. Like in his eyes I wasn’t worth saving because I wasn’t paying him his desired fee. As if because I qualified for Medicaid, I wasn’t worth it. But, because he’s a Doctor, he HAD to do it. Like someone held a gun to his head. There is no sympathy for the ill and uninsured. No one takes circumstance, or personal situations into account. It’s gimme, gimme, gimme! Take, take, take!

I was scammed by Nigerians a few months ago. My Mother had to shell out $1700 to bail me out of debt. I still owe her that money. I had my cellphone shut off because I couldn’t pay my bill after being fired from the very health care provider I spoke of earlier. I owe Verizon over $400. And now THIS. I have busted my ass to find a “practical” job while still working on my craft. I have held benefits, and played shows to practically empty rooms, begging for tips, just to start paying back some of the money I owe. And then I ended up in the hospital. This has no been a good year for me, or for any of us. I hate money. I hate the system in which we live. I hate that people cannot be taken care because of their financial/economic status. It’s ludicrous, it’s unfair, and it’s not right. People are people. We all breathe the same air, we deserve to receive the same health care!

I beg of you. If not for me, but for yourself. Take a stand!
Do your research. Find out what you can do to help, to change this shitty system.
I know that as soon as I pull through this, as soon as I can work again, and really fight. I am going to!!!

I am healing everyday. But, I still find myself very exhausted, very quickly. I’m not even a full week out of the hospital yet. It takes time, I know. But I hate sitting idle. I want to be doing what I love. I have tried to push myself, in order to make myself happy. But, I am just too weak right now. I had to cancel rehearsal for tomorrow, and the show is 2 wks away. It bums me out, and I have become depressed because I feel so held back. I know, I will pull through, I know I will survive, I always do. And it helps to know I have so many amazing, beautiful people rallying around me, and supporting me. The love is incredible. So, again, thank you EVERYONE! In a world that is mostly evil, and greedy, it is so great to know that there are some good people left. I love you.

And thank you.

x

I’m aliiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiveeee!!!!
Hallelujah!

I was wheeled into the freezing cold OR (operating room) at around (9:30am). They covered me in about 30 blankets and started to prep me for the surgery by washing my down, and sterilizing my body. I got a chance to read my entire binder with all my MRI, Sonogram, Blood Test results, etc. Really fascinating stuff, if you’re into it. Which I totally am. They gave me two Xanax upstairs for nerves, and the through IV in the OR I got Valium. So, while I was absolutely terrified, holding back tears, I felt okay. Mellow. And, my Mom was at my side until the very last second.  When they told her to leave, I almost got emotional, but they quickly wheeled me away and put an oxygen mask over my face. The next thing I felt and the last thing I remember was the anesthesia. Warm, white, fire in my arm, and I … waaaas…… OUT.

Next thing I know, I am prying my eyes open in a new room with lots of beeping, and people standing over me. My Doctor is there, I hear him say a lot of information, but I can’t retain any of it. All I got was “The surgery went well, and we were able to do to laparoscopically.” And then I drifted back into an unconscious state. Soon my Mom and Dad came in and I tried to wake myself up more, but coming out of anesthesia is rough. But, I wanted to know more. What was done? How am I? What do my incisions look like? Where are my photos?

Basically here is the run down, as I continue to wait for the photos from my Dr.
Which I will post ASAP, as soon as I get them. But from what I have heard they are quite shocking, and very interesting.

Rundown:

-Cyst was not a cyst.
Turns out it was a cantaloupe sized blood bubble/sack
in which my fallopian tube wrapped itself around and stranggled it
causing it to grow, and grow, and grow.

Which explains the cyst like mass, and the swollen fallopian tube.

Not only did my tube stranggle the mass, but my sigmoid colon did as well.

Which may very well explain all of my gastrointestinal problems in the last year.

The Dr. said if I waited any longer, or had gone home the bubble could have burst and I would have hemorrhaged and died. So, this was most definitely an emergency surgery.

What they removed:
- the blood bubble
- part of my sigmoid colon
- and one fallopian tube (the left one)

The good news:

- I will be fine
- I will recovery fairly quickly
- I can still get pregnant in the future
- And both ovaries are intact
- ..and best of all I GO HOME TODAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The not so good news:

- I feel woozy
- I’m in agony
- I’m not allowed to drive for almost a month
- I can’t work, or do anything strenuous.
The Dr. even tried to convince me to cancel out show on 10/22 at Otto’s
because he feels the performing is too much for me right now, especially since part of singing (the right way) comes from your diaphragm and abdomen.

BEST NEWS:
- I am going to be fine and good as new in about a month.
- I survived, and am stronger for it.
- I have been given a second chance at life.
- And I will be playing on 10/22 – come Hell or high water!
*So be there to celebrate with me.
Otto’s Shrunken Head, 538 E 14th NYC
7pm
- Recording of the album will resume soon, as well as the documentary.

- THE SHOW MUST GO ON!!!

I cannot thank the nurses who tended to be enough.
Rosa (Melli’s Mom), Mike, Karl, Lisa, Liz, and Kyle. You all were amazing, and you saved my life.  Dr. Royo you really saved my life! – I was lucky to end up with the better half of the medical staff. And you made me really comfortable, and got me back to normal. I am eternally grateful.

I cannot thank all enough for the donations that have been pouring in. I am astonished at your generosity, you have melted my heart. I am so grateful for your love and support, all you messages, phone calls, presents, words of support, RT’ing, all of your help! Thank you. You are all beautiful and I love you!!!!

It’s going to be a long haul. I’m very restricted for a while. But, I’m happy to be going home, and being healthy again.

Again, I am so thankful to have all of you in my life. I am the luckiest girl in the world!

Please continue to spread the word and RT about the donation box.
We wanna try and raise as much as possible.
We’re almost up to $300!!!!
So please, keep on spreading the word.
I really want to help my parents, and not put them into debt.
I understand money is tight, but like I said a $1 goes a long way.
And anyone who donates $5 or more will get a pre-release copy of our new record
“Delusions of Grandeur” when it is complete. I am saving all of your info as I receive the payments, so I have a list of who is getting copies. It’s the least I can do for your concern, and generosity. I love you.

Donations can be made here:

https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=8668673

THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU

and more importantly

I LOVE YOU ALL!

xx

j