How do I put this?

KoolKamal is an OG Liverpool FC activist, who was monumental in the Save Liverpool FC movement in ousting Hicks and Gillett, arranging for protest banners to be displayed at the World Cup 2010 in South Africa.

He has cerebral palsy, and needs neuro spinal surgery to treat his spasmic muscles, and resulting pain that is only getting worse.

The surgery alone costs USD$50,000, and months of rehab USD$85,000

From RedAndWhiteKop, an OG LFC fans' forum. https://www.redandwhitekop.com/forum/index.php?topic=356305.0

In Kamal's words:

My name is Kamal Jasmath. I am now 44 Years Old and from South Africa, and I have Spastic Cerebral Palsy. Basically, the damaged part of the brain causes the muscles throughout my body to basically remain in a permanently tense state, which limits my movement considerably. It can be such a deceptive condition too because on the face of it, when you’re standing or sitting you may appear to be fine. It only becomes noticeable when you have to move that people start wondering what’s wrong with this person.

What are some of the possible consequences of spasticity?

• Early aging (including early onset arthritis; a significant proportion of people with spastic CP develop arthritis even in their 20s and 30s)
• Contractures/permanent cellular changes in muscles and tendons
• Bone deformities
• Inability to fully strengthen and stretch muscles.
• Chronic pain and discomfort
• Negative changes alignment and posture
• People with Cerebral Palsy use up to 5 times more energy than regular people.

In addition, spasticity often negatively affects concentration and sleep—and it can cause anxiety as well. Studies have shown that tension in the body often translates to tension in the mind, and vice versa.

I was misdiagnosed as a child where I was told that the issues with my physicality can be fixed with just exercise. Unfortunately that wasn't the case and even though I struggled with most things that involved activity I didn't really let it stop me from trying to play sports with regular kids. I never tried to let my physical limitations hold me back.

As I got into my 30's I started noticing that my physicality was getting worse no matter what I did, nothing really helped improve it. At the same time, I noticed that my dad (who was a freedom fighter in South Africa and was sentenced to 10 years in prison for his part in helping free South Africans from the oppressive apartheid regime), as he got older as well he started experiencing some sort of delayed PTSD and he'd wake up in the middle of the night screaming, possibly remembering all the physical and mental torture he had to endure. I then at the beginning of 2016 (with the support of friends) I made the decision to go to the east and spend a year focusing on only therapy and training to do whatever I can to improve my physicality, not just for myself but also so that I could be better able to look after my dad.

I was scared of leaving him alone for a year but I figured in the long term it would be best because then I could take care of him but 3 months into my training, my worst fear literally came true and I received the news that my dad had died. I immediately flew back to South Africa for the funeral. I was back in South Africa for about 8 months. I lost everything, no family left and nowhere to live so I decided since I had nothing and no one here I would go back to the east to continue my training in the hope that it would benefit me. I endured some of the toughest most torturous training imaginable.

The training helped a bit but only because I was training 6 hours a day and it was only in 2018 in India after speaking to my aunt (who I had met for the first time) who's is a physiotherapist, she recommended me to a specialist whom along with an orthopedic surgeon correctly diagnosed me. Most of my life I was told that it was just a physical limitation instead of it being an incurable brain issue that is affecting my physicality. It has been quite a challenging thing to accept, especially when living your entire life believing that your condition can be fixed. What's crazy is that every doctor/physio I see now can immediately recognise that I have cerebral palsy and they can't understand how I was misdiagnosed since it's so obvious.

Over the last several years, I can feel my condition worsening . Movement is tougher, risk of injuries is higher. I’m in a lot more pain, every day it’s something or the other, muscle spasms, joint pain, nerve pain, sometimes major discomfort, and more frustrations. Through an incredible amount of research I learned about a surgery called Selective Dorsal Rhizotomy (SDR) which is a spinal-cord surgery in which the surgeon divides the spinal cords sensory nerves into their smaller branches, called rootlets, and then cuts the rootlets that are most overactive, thereby getting rid of spasticity in the lower body. Currently, SDR is the only treatment that can eliminate or permanently reduce spasticity. Usually this surgery is performed mainly on children but there only a handful of Neurosurgeons in the world who can perform this surgery on adults. I have spoken to the Neurologist who diagnosed me, as well as few other Neurologists and another Neurosurgeon, and they all feel that SDR could benefit me hugely. I have also spoken directly to about 20 other adults who have had the surgery done and every single one said that it has changed their lives considerably for the better. It is the best thing they have done. Obviously, the surgery does come with risks as it is a very intricate, delicate surgery.

Due to the complex nature of it, just the surgery alone costs $50 000 (US). I would need to remain in hospital for about 3 weeks to be assessed and I would be in a wheelchair as I wouldn’t be able to walk initially (it may take a few weeks to be able to have limited movement or walking capabilities), thereafter I need at least 1-2 years of intensive rehab as I would need to re-learn how to walk, how to move, how to strengthen muscles that had false strength because of the spasticity. Total cost of surgery, other medical expenses and rehab would be at least $85 000 (US).

I am all alone. I have no support structure to help me. If I injure myself (which I have often – falls, scrapes, cuts, bruises, concussion, ligament damage, etc. I have to find a way to deal with it myself)

I am just so tired of all the muscles spasming, joint pain, nerve pain, back pain, muscle tightness, falling, and all the injuries, etc. While there is no cure for cerebral palsy, this surgery would literally change my life and is the only option and my last resort to at least be able to live a slightly healthier life. The surgery cannot be performed once you reach a certain age.

Thank you for taking the time to read this.

I am and would be eternally grateful for any support I can get.

Take Care.

I ask my fellow LFC lemmings to donate https://www.gofundme.com/f/surgery-and-rehab-to-improve-mobility-and-life

cross-posted from: https://lemm.ee/post/45628392

Archived version

Breed leads in the first few rounds of ranked choice voting elimination, but falls behind Laurie after Farrell is eliminated.

Me in the future: "Nobody watches anime anymore. It's too popular"

> Ampere Analysis sees that anime has become a mainstream culture in the U.S. and Europe with significant potential for expansion from $31.2 billion in 2023 to $60.1 billion by 2030.

> Spotify (SPOT) also reported an increase of 395% in anime music streams since 2021.

More photos and videos: https://www.daytodayla.com/2019/09/13/trolley-at-the-americana-glendale/

https://www.instagram.com/americanabrand/reel/CzZnfXdRJuW/

Manufacturer's website: https://www.gomacotrolley.com/Resources/pages/glendale_trolleys.html

>Two open-style trolley cars, #1717 and GiGi, are in Glendale, California. They were completed and delivered in 2008, and are being used at a shopping and residential center.

> They are a similar style to the J.G. Brill open-style cars currently in Lowell, Massachusetts, and Tampa, Florida. The first car, #1717, is 33 feet long and battery-powered, and the unpowered second car, GiGi, is 22 feet long and pulled behind the first car. The grand opening for the "Americana At Brand" project was May 1-2, 2008.

Construction photos: https://www.gomacotrolley.com/Resources/pages/construction_glendale.html

She's the namesake of the Del Rey Books publishing imprint.

The article links to a PBS documentary, Judy-Lynn Del Rey: Galaxy Gal from a series "Renegades" which "highlights little-known historical figures with disabilities"

Archived version

Because of the steep walkway and staircase to Laguna Honda, the SF County Transportation Authority (SFCTA), consisting of the Board Of Supervisors, is looking into constructing a gondola system, presumably from Forest Hill station, to improve accesss.

The City is also looking at the LHH site, which is mostly woods, as a site for affordable housing, including 250 units for seniors.

Reddit is requiring manual admin approval to make /r’s private, eliminating the main mechanism for the last sitewide protest agains changes to the API.

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.ca/post/30196137

> Ukraine has said that its forces have withdrawn from the eastern city of Vuhledar, a defensive bastion that had resisted repeated Russian attacks since Vladimir Putin’s 2022 full-scale invasion. > > The military command in Kyiv said its troops left late on Tuesday. They had retreated in order to preserve personnel and combat equipment, it said, adding that Russian combat units had attacked from three directions and were close to “encircling” the city. > > The fall of Vuhledar is a boost for the Kremlin and comes as Russian troops advance across the eastern Donetsk oblast. In February they captured the city of Avdiivka, outside the regional capital of Donetsk, occupied in 2014. > > MBFC > Archive

Asshole douchebags.

I hope they get doxxed.

Out of 2316 in SFUSD total...

Mark Farrell didn't show up.

5 of the underdog candidates took the stage afterwards

I love articles like this about obscure and interesting places with local history!

80s anime-style music video.

The song is decent too!

> San Francisco Mayor London Breed announced Sunday that she’s lending some of her own staff to help the city’s troubled public school district, whose top official narrowly avoided termination just hours earlier.

> Hours after the San Francisco Unified School District’s governing board wrapped up a meeting in which it considered firing Superintendent Matt Wayne, accepted the mayor’s offer.

> In a news release Sunday afternoon, Breed said she’s carving out $8.5 million for the School Stabilization Team to help SFUSD overcome its dysfunction.

> Money for the mayor’s effort comes from a 2022 measure that unlocked city money to help SFUSD with so-called Student Success Funds for urgent needs. That’s on top of the $100 million the city already provides annually to its K-12 district.

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.ca/post/29507311

> The number of people sleeping outdoors dropped to under 3,000 in January, the lowest the city has recorded in a decade, according to a federal count. > > And that figure has likely dropped even lower since Mayor London Breed — a Democrat in a difficult reelection fight this November — started ramping up enforcement of anti-camping laws in August following a U.S. Supreme Court decision. > > Homelessness in no way has gone away, and in fact grew 7%, to 8,300 in January, according to the same federal count. > > But the problem is now notably out of the public eye, raising the question of where people have gone and whether the change marks a turning point in a crisis long associated with San Francisco.

• KQED channel 9
• KQED radio 88.5FM
• Livestream on SFChronicle.com and app

Hopefully Mayor Breed will show up this time...

Farrell's response regarding this incident doesn't make sense.

If he was purely interested in how long the issuance of the permits would take, why not call the DBI directly instead of Mayor Breed's office?