Title: Personal Request: Help Me Give A Sick Child A Memorable Year (Patreon)

CW: death, illness

It’s time for me to get very personal on here, and I wish it were for a better reason. The 6 year old daughter of one of my best friends growing up, Anastasia, has been diagnosed with a rare and aggressive form of brain cancer called a diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma (DIPG). Her prognosis is unfortunately terminal, with approximately one year to live. According to DefeatDIPG.org, there is still no effective treatment and no chance of survival. Only 10% of children with DIPG survive for 2 years following their diagnosis, and less than 1% survive for 5 years.

When I was putting together Tamberlane, she was 1.5 years old. I went to visit her and her mum and dad in England, and I based Tamberlane off of Anastasia. Because she used baby sign language, I decided Tamberlane would also sign. I studied her mannerisms and used their home of Norwich as the inspiration for designing Treehollow.

Anastasia is inextricably linked with my comic, so if you love Tamberlane, in some small part, you love Anastasia too, which is why I’m seeking the help of the Tamberlane community to help make her remaining time with us special.

There is a GoFundMe put together to give Anastasia an amazing final year, full of love and memories. If Tamberlane has touched your life at all (which if you’re here, I know and am thankful that it has!), please consider donating to my wonderful friends, and their amazing little girl and her little brother who will survive her.

Donate to Anastasia’s GoFundMe Here