This is going to be a quick post as I'm about to head to work. Same reasoning as the last time. I may be working on Monday as well, if God wills it. Let's be clear, when I say that I will be increasing my calorie intake for a few days, it is no more than 1100 calories in that time period.
It has been three days since I've talked to my sisters in Palestine. They could be dead and none of us could ever no if they were murdered.
Israel has launched an unprovoked assault on Iran, killing at least 80 people, as of the last time I checked. In 24 hours, two days ago, 40 Palestinians--who're being systematically starved--have been murdered by the fascist, Israeli swine.
None of this even speaks on domestic issues we face in the US with the suppression of our civil liberties in the name of Israel. Disgusting. These struggles are all connected.
So, now, let's get into what I've dealt with over the last week in my fast in solidarity with Veterans for Peace in their "40-Day Fast for Gaza.
Due to the reduction of my meds to help in my goal of 'harm-reduction' of my personal health for this fast, I'm dealing with "brain-zap." Brain-zap is a withdrawal symptom in which you feel like electric currents are running through your body. It's very disorienting. Luckily, I have only done a reduction in the meds responsible so it's more distracting than disorienting.
All night I had nightmares. They were terrifying, but I can't recall them. I often have nightmares. But, something I don't always have is the sensation of portions of my body burning. Not my skin itches but sever, third degree burns. The type that feels like white-hot needles prodding partially numb flesh, flesh that sloughs off. Please, trust me when I say when I tell you this. I've had severe burns multiple times in my life. And, I woke up feeling this way. I still feel it affecting me. Not physically but mentally.
The last week, I have been so hungry. So disoriented. So lethargic. My chronic pain has increased in intensity. My headache is constant. My cognitive functions are being affected.
SO, WHY DO I TELL YOU ABOUT MY EXPERIENCE??
I pray, I hope, maybe you will be able to connect with me, someone you may know, easier than our brothers and sisters in Palestine. Maybe, you can transfer that empathy to them. Maybe, you can see them as human beings. Human beings in the same way you and I are.
Imagine enduring a genocide for two years. Imagine being unable to eat enough to sustain your health, the health of your children. Imagine wasting away and watching them waste away.
If I'm hungry, imagine how our brothers and sisters feel. They're not able to ensure they're limited calories are as nutritionally dense as I am. They are taking on the extra strain of being forced to march back and forth. They are forced to take on the extra strain of adrenaline pumping through their body through the constant murder, gunfire, bombing, and other forms of assault going on around them.
My friends' homes have been bombed. Some of them are unable to nurse their children because of malnutrition. They're unable to get the medical care that they, their friends, their family, and their children deserve and desperately need. They have had their cities, homes, hospitals, and their schools bombed into oblivion. Their people, their journalists, their story, and have been or are under threat of complete destruction.
So, for the love of the HIghest, I pray that you will stand up. I pray you will put your body and your resources on the line. I pray you show empathy, show support, and weep for the injustice they face. God, I weep, and it is the very least I can do.
As I will be taking in more calories over the next couple of days, I will be doing an overhaul on these posts. On the blog. I will be showing pictures of my friend's bombed home (for the 3rd time, now) the affect of starvation on her children, and the devastation of her homeland.
Before I leave, I'm going to make another ask for my sister Fatma. Please, donate to her GoFundMe.
