Letter to my Patrons (Patreon)

Good morning darlings, how are you?

I wanted to stop by to give you more than excellent news! As you are already aware, I have been suffering from severe pain in my shoulders these last few months... I never thought that I would have to bear a chronic illness like this.

Overworking myself like I've always done throughout my life has brought me no reward other than chronic bursitis and tendinitis in both arms. The ghost of this disease has been haunting me daily and terrorizing my most beautiful dreams I've had in this life to the point of believing that I wouldn't be able to overcome this condition. It hurt to brush my teeth, wash my hair, sleep, cook, wash dishes, get dressed, clap my hands, wave, open jars... everything that is common to do in everyday life became a painful task. Drawing? Don't even get me started. I felt like I had a knife stuck in my shoulder constantly. I was taken over by the fear of being unable to continue to provide for myself and my family. I found myself revisiting a feeling that I thought I had gotten rid of a while ago, the thought of suicide, it was a lot of pain and a lot of frustration, I didn't think I was strong enough to be able to overcome this.

"And where's the good news in all of this Theo?" You ask.

Well, after months of doing physical therapy, taking medication, doing acupuncture and other alternative treatments to complement physical therapy, in addition to a complete overhaul of my work routine and my posture at the desk, I FINALLY FEEL BETTER. I can do low-impact activity without pain, I can sleep without feeling pain in my shoulders, brushing my teeth, etc... 

But that's not the end of it, I'm going to bear this disease with me for the rest of my life, and if I don't take good care of myself, I could lose all progress in getting better that I got through months in the blink of an eye. With that in mind, I'll keep up with the current production pace, publishing one piece of content per week and resting properly when necessary. But I wanted this letter to be not just to inform you of things, I want it to be a thank you letter. Because if it weren't for you sponsoring me, buying my commissions, spreading my art with your friends on your social networks, I wouldn't have been able to finance these treatments, because I left my career as a 2d animator in the industry last year to focus 100% on this patreon which I believe is a project that brings me the most joy.

That being said, I would like to thank you all, you LITERALLY saved my life, I know that 1 or 10 dollars may look like a small amount, but thanks to all of you, and the support of my family, I have been able to deal with all the medical costs of my treatment. I love you for the support you've given me and I write this letter with tears in my eyes because my little heart can't express my gratitude enough. I would also like to give a special thanks to Firo, who has been translating my comic and my posts to english and never charged me a single penny for it (and happens to be translating this letter as well hahaha). Thank you my great friend for helping this poor Latin American artist to continue spreading his art to other rich and diverse cultures.

Love, Theodoro Young Heart.