Emergency Relief for a Caregiver’s Journey

Hello and thank you for allowing me to share my story with you. I have had my share of “no good deed goes unpunished.” I am on disability, or was, until after years of chronic pain from a medical mishap left me with a leaking spinal cord. Every time the barometric pressure changes, I suffer from chronic migraines as a result. I held the doctor to my own standards and I was certain it was an innocent mistake. I did not sue as I didn’t want medical insurance and care to affect each and every one of us. It has been life-changing and I was placed on permanent disability. On my “good days,” I assist the elderly with cleaning, errands, and wellness calls/in-person checkups. I also provide support to families with children so they can keep their foundation strong and have quality time together. I enjoy helping others, but the barometric pressure changes limit my ability to work any type of routine schedule. I always thought permanent disability was, in fact, permanent, but much to my dismay, I never received notice in the mail that a new analysis was required. My small income was suddenly stopped and though I’ve sent the forms in several times, I am not in the system and there are not any social security attorneys who work on this situation. Once the government gets to it, it will take a year or longer to be reinstated with no back pay or funds replaced. So, when it rains, it pours has overloaded my best efforts. I have had an overwhelming amount of challenges that required using credit cards just to meet basic needs. I live frugally, don’t have cable or luxuries even incarcerated individuals enjoy. In January, an elderly man I helped out did not respond to my attempts to make contact. I was forced to request a wellness check and they had fallen. He was taken to the ER and a very bad UTI developed into a cardiac arrest and then to the ICU on life support until after a week of no brain activity and shutting down organs revealed the condition was grave. I don’t know if it was the hospital floor or what, but I developed plantar fasciitis requiring inserts and shoes so I could physically walk. One thing after another from Flu/Norovirus combination, pelvic floor issues, a car accident, three cross contaminations that wreaked havoc on my body (pork allergy) including completely tearing my rotator cuff on one arm and injuring the other when I passed out. It’s been tough. To add insult to injury, my car was totaled due to age and I’ve never received any compensation and the other side is suing me when they didn’t receive a scratch but lost control from speeding and hit another vehicle, my roof had to be replaced and my air conditioning system died. The other day I was helping a friend carry trash out and something broke in the bag, piercing through the plastic and stabbed my leg requiring numerous stitches. Just what I needed… an ER bill! I have always been a hard worker and love working with special needs children, animals, and the elderly. I try to look out for those who have no one and now I’m in that situation. My surgery will be expensive and eight months of physical therapy. It feels like I take one step forward and ten steps backward. It is truly hard for me to reach out and ask for help… but here I am. I had no idea what to do but after prayer and contemplation, I thought perhaps a miracle could happen. I’m trying to be the best person I can be, overcome these difficulties, and hope for a better tomorrow. My greatest fear is having no place to live and what would happen to my cat. If nothing else, if you could say a prayer for me… I would be grateful. If you have a few dollars, any amount would be such a blessing. Have you ever been so overwhelmed by life that it feels like you’re in the eye of a tornado and chaos is whirling around you? My life has been one of service, helping out in any capacity I was able, but I need help now. Thank you for your time and consideration.