::October Update::
 

It has been an incredibly difficult few months for us here at IONOX Media, and we wanted to take a moment to share a more personal update about everything that has been happening behind the scenes.
 

In our previous announcement, we mentioned that our family was dealing with a serious medical emergency. Unfortunately, we have some heartbreaking news to share.
 

For the past several years, Kara and I have served as the primary caregivers for my mother as she struggled with a number of significant health issues. Despite the challenges she faced, we had always done our best to balance her care with the responsibilities of running IONOX Media.
 

At the end of September, my mother suffered another major medical event. Sadly, her condition continued to deteriorate, and on October 8th, she passed away.
 

Her loss has been incredibly difficult for our family, and we are still navigating the emotional and practical challenges that come with losing someone so important to us.
 

Complicating matters further was the timing of our first appearance at New York Comic Con.

After years of working toward this opportunity, and with substantial financial and professional commitments already in place, withdrawing from the event simply wasn't a realistic option for us.
 

As a result, we found ourselves trying to balance an incredibly painful situation back home while simultaneously preparing for and exhibiting at one of the largest conventions in the country.
 

What followed was an emotional roller coaster unlike anything we had ever experienced.

In the midst of everything happening with our family, our first appearance at New York Comic Con became the busiest and most successful convention in IONOX Media's history.
 

The response to our artwork was absolutely incredible. We met thousands of wonderful people, introduced our work to an entirely new audience, and reconnected with customers who had discovered us at conventions throughout the country.
 

It was a tremendous milestone for our little business, and one that we had worked toward for many years.
 

But it was also profoundly bittersweet.
 

We are incredibly grateful for the success we experienced in New York, even as we continue to process the circumstances surrounding it. It is a strange feeling to experience one of the greatest professional accomplishments of your life during one of its most heartbreaking moments.
 

And now, as we return our attention to everything waiting for us here at home, we have quite a bit of catching up to do.
 

Between our recent convention appearances, Etsy, and our website, we currently have more than 400 orders in our production queue.
 

We recognize that many of our customers have already been waiting longer than anticipated, and we sincerely apologize for those delays.
 

Although we have continued working whenever circumstances have allowed, our family responsibilities, extensive travel schedule, and recent loss have understandably affected our production capabilities.
 

The good news is that we have taken steps to address this.
 

We have hired additional help to work alongside us throughout the entire month of November, allowing us to significantly increase production and begin working through our outstanding orders at a much faster pace.
 

Our goal is to complete and ship as many orders as possible before the holiday season, while maintaining the same quality and attention to detail that our customers have come to expect from us.
 

We do want to be transparent that some orders, particularly those placed more recently, may take longer to fulfill. We appreciate your continued patience as we work through the queue and gradually return to a more manageable production schedule.
 

Despite everything that has happened, we remain incredibly excited about the future of IONOX Media.
 

We debuted several new pieces of artwork during Dragon Con and New York Comic Con, and we have many more projects and ideas that we look forward to sharing with you.
 

We also hope to return to a more consistent schedule of website updates and newsletters once things have settled down and we have made meaningful progress on our outstanding orders.

For now, however, our immediate priorities are supporting our family, honoring my mother's memory, and getting IONOX Media back on track.
 

Most importantly, we want to thank all of you.
 

To everyone who has placed an order, visited us at a convention, supported our artwork, offered words of encouragement, or simply shown us patience and understanding during these unusually difficult months, please know how much it means to us.
 

IONOX Media has always been a labor of love for both of us. We are a small, family-run business, and while that comes with its own unique challenges, it also means that every order and every customer genuinely matters to us.
 

Thank you for continuing to support what we do, especially when life has made doing it a little more difficult than usual.
 

With sincere appreciation,

Mike & Kara
IONOX Media