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Help me fund my bucket list dream trip to Japan!

Tessa Shepherd Start Date: Nov 14, 2025 - End Date: Aug 13, 2026

My Travel Story

by: Tessa Shepherd Start Date: Nov 14, 2025 - End Date: Aug 13, 2026
The more disabled I've become over the years, the harder it is to travel. But an important trip to Japan with loved ones is coming in November, and I'm trying to make it there. 
My biggest hurdle at the moment, is financially. I'm in a position where I genuinely can't work a standard 35-40 hour full time job. It's just the reality of living with Lyme Disease and POTS, going on 14 years now. 
Before Covid, I had a Japan trip planned, but much like everyone else- I had to give it up. I lost work, my nest egg was burned up, and I've been struggling to make ends meet every since. Every year I've had to cut hours off my availability at work due to exhaustion. And while I've been through many treatments, there's a certain level of loss that I'll never regain. Money aside, it means I've had to work less hours in the pharmacy I'm passionate about, and experience less than I had hoped in my lifetime. It's embarrassing to ask for donations, but this trip is important. 
A dear friend wants me to go with her on this trip, and I'll do my best, but at the end of the day- without help from other's it'll be impossible. In detail, this trip is to celebrate the anniversary of a wedding between friends who I've known for over 15 years. Their wedding, just this last November, was a long time coming, and I got to officiate it. They'd like friends to join them on the 1 year anniversary trip. It's a celebration of friendship, I know personally without them my life would be so much darker.
It's grim to say things like that, but if I'm going to ask for donations, I should at least be honest. There's certain things in my future that are crystal clear like a spinal fusion scheduled for 2027 and surgeries for my nerves this summer, but then there's pretty bleak cloudy things like if/when I'll be able to travel again. 
I've long since come to terms with my disabilities, but I feel so passionately about this trip, I know it's something I can't miss.
Aside from activities with friends, my goal is to visit as many shrines and museums as possible, if I meet my goal I might also be able to afford a day trip to Hiroshima. I want to experience their culture, learn their history, and visit places that have stood the rest of time. I've spent a lot of time researching what's within the realm of possibility in regards to traveling disabled. The best scenarios are to include taxiing places a bit more to save walking. Taxi fares are extremely high in Japan, so my campaign is a bit on the higher side. 
Thank you for your time if you've read this far, and if you can't donate, please consider sharing this post- I'd greatly appreciate it. I hope you have a wonderful day.
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