I live with my two cats in a small town in the Sangre de Cristo Mountains, completely off-grid.  I moved up here from Denver just before the pandemic hit, and I love it here, with nature and lots of space all around me...  I work for a company that helps people deal with health issues in holistic ways, by changing their lifestyle,  improving nutrition, exercising more effectively, etc.  One of my roles in the company is to help our clients learn how to manage and reduce stress.  Ironically, during the most stressful year of my life, I have supported many others by teaching them the skills needed to handle life's pressures.  And one of the things I teach is that you do not need to try and handle everything on your own.

This year, it feels like everything broke down and went wrong in my house all at the same time, and I’ve been dealing with really disruptive health issues, too.  I am facing over 30K in house repair expenses that I have no way of paying, as I have spent all of my savings on prior repairs and medical care that was not covered by insurance.   Here's what happened in 2023...

• My off-grid solar electrical system failed in its key parts in February — the generator died and the lead-acid batteries died at the same time!  Without the batteries and generator, there is no way to get power when the sun isn’t out… And that happened in the dead of winter!  

• It was absolutely frigid, and there I was, without electricity, which meant that I also had no water, no internet, and heat only from the wood-burning stove.  I borrowed money from a friend and replaced the batteries, so that I could function… But I still have not been able to replace the generator.

• With another winter coming, I need a generator badly!  I tried to replace it earlier this year, but every time I made a plan to do it, some other crisis happened…

• I found a slow leak in the wall behind my kitchen sink, and everything inside the wall was covered with MOLD.  Sheet rock, insulation, the hidden surfaces of all my cabinets facing the moldy wall... Everything had to be ripped out.  Getting rid of all the mold was crazy-expensive, and my kitchen is still in pieces.  The wall needs to be repaired, the sink plumbing fixed, and getting the cabinets rebuilt would be great, too....

• Then my well water started tasting funny, and I had to get it tested.  The bacteria test came back negative, so I'm not sure why the bad smell / taste, possibly sulfur...  The bad news is, the lab found toxic levels of cadmium and LEAD.  I wonder how long I've been drinking water that isn't safe to drink.

• I was still trying to scrape together the money for a generator, but then it turned out I had to replace my front door and two bedroom windows that started leaking, and I had to get them fixed to prevent water damage to the structures of the house. The roof started leaking, too, and I still have to find the money to get it repaired.

• And then my internet died, which had worked fine for two and a half years... But the internet company made some kind of adjustment to their systems, and I ended up without service.  I work online, and I can't do anything for my job without internet…. So I had to switch to a new provider and pay a lot of money for the new satellite dish and installation costs.

• Right before my 50th birthday, a few weeks ago, my car died in my driveway, because a pack rat ate the wire between the alternator and the engine. I’ve been trying to keep rats and mice out of the car and out of the garage, but it’s been an ongoing battle.  There are just tons of them out here, especially by the creek where I live, and many people in town struggle keeping them out of garages, cars, sheds, and houses...  They can squeeze through the tiniest cracks!   I finally found a handyman who was able to rodent-proof the garage.  It can take a while to find good help around here... So it's lucky that I did, and my car is fixed and in a safe place now.

• I've also been trying to get mice and chipmunks out of my roof, and that's been an ongoing battle for the past two and a half years.  When I bought the house back in 2021, the sellers didn’t disclose that there was a rodent infestation.  And by the time I uncovered the full extent of it, it was too late to go after them to redress the situation.  I really felt like I was taken advantage of…. A big bulk of my savings went to mouse-proofing the house, so there wasn’t very much left for all these other repairs and expenses I just told you about.

• I looked into selling my house and renting instead, but I would be paying more for rent than my mortgage, even if I rented a much smaller place in a worse location.  Plus I would be heartbroken to leave.  So I am trying my best to figure out how to keep my home.

• To make everything even harder, I started having really disruptive health issues this past winter.  There were several months when I could barely function.  I knew I couldn’t afford to collapse, because I live by myself… so I found a really great Functional Medicine practitioner, and she is helping me feel better and continue to function.  Things are turning around, but I had to dip into my retirement savings to pay for her consultations, lab testing, and now the medications that I have to take.  It's been very expensive, and my insurance won't cover it.

I could have dealt with one or two of these things, but all of them happening together makes it too much.  I’ve never liked asking for help, but I cannot do it all by myself.

 A friend of mine asked me, “How are you not crying in a corner with a blanket over your head?”  I am not doing that, because it’s just not me.  And because it saps my energy when I need to keep moving.  You know how they say, ‘If you are going through hell, keep going.”

So I am keeping going… But I NEED YOUR HELP.   

I have no real safety net. No other place to go live.  I am single, and my one income is it. I have a good job; I work hard. My paycheck covers all my usual life expenses… But what I’ve been dealing with is way beyond the usual, all at once.  There are some big numbers on my list, but I would like to add: EVERY GIFT HELPS

• If you are able to help in any amount, I will be infinitely grateful….  And I made some really fun and useful thank-you gifts for you, too, so check them out.  🥰    
• You can also help a TON by helping spread the word, so please share the link to my fundraiser!     💞  Thank you so, so much for your help and support at this very difficult time!    

With all my gratitude,

Polina Rikoun

Crestone, Colorado