Donations.
Designer
Tom Chapman
Services
Brander, UI/UX Design,
Mobile Designer
Date
April 26, 2025
Team
Tom - Designer
Studios M9 - Coder
Context
From Campo Grande (MS), Tom suffers from Muscular Dystrophy. Without physical therapy three times a week, he could permanently lose the few body movements he has left.
Tom's mother is a housekeeper and works in more than one house to be able to pay for his physical therapy. Each session costs R$ 90, but she can only afford one per week. Tom does not receive treatment through the public health system (SUS) because the location where it is offered is very far from his home, and the City Hall does not offer any kind of transportation assistance.
The only alternative was to hire a private physical therapist to see him at home. It's either that, or Tom sees himself getting closer and closer to depending on other people for everything. Can you imagine waking up one day and not being able to get up without help?
"It's painful to know that I can walk today and maybe not tomorrow. Depending 100% on another person is also complicated.”
Muscular Dystrophy is a rare and progressive genetic disease that, in addition to causing muscle weakness, leads to very serious respiratory problems. To avoid the risk of simply stopping breathing while sleeping, he needs to sleep with a mechanical ventilator (BiPAP) to ensure his lungs continue to function during sleep.
Why does Tom need our help?
A graduate in Cinema and Audiovisual, Tom lost his only source of income when TikTok's algorithm associated his thinness with drug advocacy and explicit content. He received more than 400 warnings on the platform. All the money Tom earned came from the live streams he did there.
“Being part of the media has been a dream of mine since I was 15.”
In 2023, Tom, who has been bullied his entire life, and still is, stopped receiving a government benefit, which concluded he no longer needed it, despite Muscular Dystrophy being a disease that only worsens over time.
"Even though it wasn't a lot of money, it helped me. As soon as the government changed, I lost it.”
While his mother works, Tom depends on a neighbor's help for emergencies, like when he falls and needs to get up. But she can't always be available, as she also cares for her elderly mother. What if one day Tom needs help, and she can't be there?
About our campaign
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