An Asian girl wants white friends to pay for her therapy, her reason will have you shaking your head

29 year-old Rinna Rem has a chronic illness called Marfan syndrome, which affects the heart and connective tissues. As Rem sees it, the illness is worsened considerably by the racism she faces constantly. On her website where she is attempting to raise funds, she explains:

“Dear white friends, 

I grew up in and live in the PDX area. The stress of living as a Thai-Cambodian woman in such a white city replete with constant interpersonal and institutional racism has a big toll on my health and wellbeing.* I see an amazing therapist to cope with this sh*t, but I spend $100/month on therapy for bi-weekly appointments. Now it’s your turn to pay!”

"Did you know that stress builds up cumulatively, resulting in higher risks of disease? And that stress related to every day racism has been found a major factor in health disparities among people of color, including mental health disorders? And that "stress due to experiences of racism can contribute to adverse birth outcomes, when combined with the effects of general and maternal stress"? 

"I'm 29 and really tired. I've already overcome liver disease and continually manage chronic conditions of Marfan's Syndrome (like monitoring an enlarged aorta. The more stress I feel, the more I put my heart condition at risk) and depression. I want to live a healthy, happy life. I want to have a healthy, happy family in the future too. Help me pay for therapy to deal with the stress of racism. Please don't let racism shorten my life or kill me". 

Love,

Rinna

"* If you're asking "why doesn't she just move away from Portland?", you're no different to me than the people who tell me "go back to your own country!" I shouldn't have to deal with racism anywhere and I shouldn't be expected to abandon my hometown and family either. 

So far, Rem has raised $1,280 of her $2,400 goal. According to the Daily Dot, she said she raised the original goal from $600 to $2,400 after reading a barrage of hateful comments about her on a Reddit page:

“My initial fundraising goal was $600, but I raised it to $1,200 after the first spurt of hate mail and the Reddit page came out. That caused more emotional distress, which I knew I would spend a lot of time processing in therapy.”

"The more racist hate I get, the more money I'm gonna ask for. Anyway, fundraising goal just went from $1200 to $2400". 

She added:

White: (of human beings) belonging to a group marked by slight pigmentation of the skin, often of European descent.
Friend: a person whom one knows and with whom one has a bond of mutual affection