Hey peeps, Patsy here!

Some of you may know me in the pole/circus community as Zoe.Poles. For those who don't, I am a pole instructor and aerial pole artist here in South Florida and this has been my passion since 2018. I love what I do soooo much and I am so grateful for all the students, employers, friends and family who had supported me on this journey to being an overall pole and aerial professional. I didn't have much of a circus or dance background but in the few years since I have decided to make this my career I have excelled in my mission and I have sustained a life as a full time teacher and perfomer. The idea of this job can be a lot with little pay sometimes but here I am making the most of it and I don't plan on stopping anytime soon.

I am creating this page in hopes to raise money for a surgery that is really needed. In 2014 I was diagnosed with congenital cataracts at the age of 17. For those who don't know what cataracts are, it's a form of blindness where the lens in the eye become cloudy due to the proteins breaking down, this typically happens due to aging, however in my case this is a hereditary issue.

I had cataracts in both eyes and had surgery on my left eye in 2017. My right eye at the time was 20/20 and the Dr./surgeon stated that I had a bit of time before I would need to get my other eye done. Last year around this time I noticed a decline in my right vision and I was struggling to see and read from a distance. I immediately went to the Dr. to figure out if my cataract had matured and they stated that I was struggling to see because of how the light was entering through the cataract. When they did some tests I still had a decent amount of vision 25/20 and they believed that I still had more time before I would need surgery.

Fast forward a year later and why I am seeking help. I hadn't noticed (much) that my vision in my right eye was declining but I did noticed though that I was developing a dissociation habit and I was making a lot of precision mistakes when it came to my everyday life and training. For example miscalculating where things are, bumping into things, unable to determine where things are exactly and drifting off when people were talking to me and then one day, a few months back, I was testing the clarity of my right eye and to my surprise I couldn't see anything. I went to the Dr. again and they told me that my vision was nonexistent and that my next step step was to prepare for surgery.

I am looking for help because unfortunately the type of cataract implant that the Dr.s recommend is not covered by insurance. Due to my youth and the nature of my job the Dr.s and I feel that this implant would be best suitable for me and my lifestyle because it covers the most range in vision. I knew that this would come but I didn't think it would happen within the year and I feel that right now I have this wave of opportunities and I want to continue to ride this wave!

I want to get this surgery asap because the risks of injury when training and performing are much higher now. So I graciously ask if you can please share, support, and/or donate whatever you can so that I could afford this surgery, get it as soon as possible and can go back to living a more quality and adventurous life!

Thank you all so much for your support and I look forward to see everyone again (with both of my eyes!)