Base photo from Pinterest
Exactly twenty four hours ago as of writing, I was excited for my first ever cashout. Only to realize that Poloniex, a cryptocurrency exchange that I used, had failed me.
In case you missed it: yesterday, I used Poloniex to transfer my 94.078 SBD and be converted into BTC then into cash through coins.ph. Little did I know that the platform has some occasional glitches as it might take a while before the exchange translates to my account.
I would have taken the situation lightly if it weren’t for the urgent need. My family was expecting for me yesterday to cover for the medication fees of my father who is terminally ill in the hospital.
Daily, we spend more or less Php5,000 only for meds. That is on top of the bill that we will pay upon discharge.
My earnings from my Steemit stint would have helped yesterday, but perhaps next time – I was told that the SBD I transferred to Poloniex would take maybe more than a month before it reaches my wallet.
For now, all I could do is wait. My support ticket has been already attended, but it is possible that I am waiting for nothing but I hope that is not the case.
Regardless, I felt robbed.
As soon as I learned that I could not convert my SBD into real money yesterday, I did two things: inform my family about my situation and find a way to hasten the process of retrieving my SBD.
The first one made me feel like a disappointment to the family. I already told my older brother and my older sister that I can give money later that day but I was not able to deliver. Nonetheless, we were able to manage my father’s meds, perhaps until the next few days, with my older siblings finding the means.
This is my father’s meds for the day. This is only page 1 out of 3.
Meanwhile, at home, I was thinking how I could recover from what had happened. So I decided to write about it to release the stress as well as inform others about the scam that is Poloniex. Moreover, I wrote my Poloniex experience in the hopes that a few good souls would help me get my SBD fast.
But I got more than just that. Way more.
Upon learning my dilemma, fellows from SteemPH Cebu came into rescue. Kim, Shiela, France, Jassenn, and Nikka, were passionate in helping me, with the rest of the group giving some of their SBDs to my wallet.
Note that I do not know these people personally. I have never even met them. The only things I know about them are their Steemit blogs, and some their Facebook accounts. That’s it.
But the day ended with more than 60 SBD in my wallet given by members of SteemPH Cebu and others. That’s about 2/3 of what I potentially lost in Poloniex.
I was really out of words yesterday. At one point, I was already in tears, looking like a complete mess, in front of my computer. It was my body’s reaction of overwhelming joy.
All I asked in my post is to support my other blogs already posted so I could accumulate SBD again. I did not really want to ask for donations because I consider myself a nobody around here. I can count in one hand the people I have made real connections with prior to this incident.
But the SteemPH Cebu community was with me throughout.
By the way, I had successfully transferred all the donations to my coins.ph account today and will convert it into cash later.
This isn’t possible if it wasn’t for Nikka through her post that Blocktrades is indeed the real deal. Jessan and Shiela were instrumental too in making me understand the technicalities of the matter and making me feel that I am not alone. Of course to the other members of SteemPH Cebu and the rest for being empathetic.
A big thanks to all of you! Blessings will come to you a hundredfold.
Now, all I ask is prayers for my father who is still fighting for his life in the hospital. I am writing this just a few inches away from him as I am in-charge of assisting him today.
I got this when I was in Cebu for my review. It was a random shirt I picked early this morning not realizing that it will have relevance to what had happened recently.
I may not be legitimately made in Cebu, but I felt loved by those who are.