The holiday season is a special time to slow down, lean on those we love, and celebrate the warmth of family and community coming together.
But twenty-two-year-old Solveig doesn’t have the luxury to slow down. The holiday season only emphasizes what she’s missing.
Solveig is living in a shelter. She aged out of the foster care system and needs to build her own community to achieve that
warm feeling of support so many of us take for granted. Not only is her community small, it’s also very fragile. There is so much
uncertainty and stress packed into being an unhoused young person living with a severe physical disability.
As Solveig says, the closest thing to a Christmas Tree this year, is herself. “I am a Christmas Tree of braces and medical supports.” Solveig lives with Ehlers Danlos Syndrome, a degenerative condition that slowly breaks down connective tissues across all body
systems and makes her immune system more susceptible to illnesses. She uses a wheelchair for mobility and has a permanent feeding tube in her abdomen.
Solveig’s journey though, isn’t about her life in a shelter.
Her story is about the bright future she wants for herself. One she NEEDS.
This is where Solveig needs your help!
"This Dream is the ONE thing that is keeping a positive light on my future during a crazy time in my life."
Solveig came to Shine Foundation with a Dream: to publish her book of poems. Frequent hospitalizations, surgeries and illnesses began to cause significant inner traumas for Solveig. She rarely had someone consistent to turn to. Poetry became her refuge.
Once her Dream of finding the perfect publisher is fulfilled, one that not only fits her genre of poetry, but respects the quality of her work, she will feel recognized.
The thing she needs most is the feeling of accomplishment. Sharing her advocacy and perspective will help rebuild her self-confidence and validate her self-worth.
"In a life that can feel out of my control, writing is the one thing that is entirely me."
“Les voix invisibles” (Invisible Voices) is a compilation of poems and essays that follows Solveig’s experiences as a proud Haitian Quebecois on her journey through life with a disability. In print, it will become proof of her talent and her voice. It will help her feel like she accomplished something big - a true Dream come true!
This holiday season, while others gather with the people they love, Solveig needs to feel surrounded too. We can be the community she needs and the reason she can finally say she made it! Your gift today will help Solveig’s Dream come together.
