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This may have been the most difficult things I have had to write so far in my life. It’s pretty long, so thank you in advance for reading my story. Writing this and asking the world for help is very scary, but not as scary as facing the possibility of being homeless and carless with special needs children and yourself facing medical problems.
I am unable to work and waiting for a decision from Social Security Administration regarding my disability claim. I have seen a judge regarding my claim in January 2015. The whole process can take many years to get approved, been fighting the last four years. I will appeal my case as much as I can. I do not receive or qualify for TANF, but do receive SNAP and Medicaid benefits. My oldest son receives $66 a week from Child Support Enforcement.
I suffer from a painful (and some say rare) skin disorder called Hidradenitis Suppurativa. I am in stage 3. I also suffer from back problems, diabetes, thyroid issues and more. In the next few weeks, I have set up to see several new doctors and specialists that will be helping me address all of my medical issues; as previous medical providers have been unsuccessful. Many of the doctors had a waiting list up to six months. Most important appointment I have is with an Endocrinologist, specially trained physicians who diagnose diseases related to the glands. The diseases they are trained to treat often affect other parts of the body beyond glands. I have been waiting for a few weeks now, it’s scheduled for April. I have been calling often to check if anyone canceled so I can get in sooner. Both my mom and younger sister have issues with thyroid problems. In fact, my younger sister just recently had major surgery to remove her thyroids completely. I have been taking care of everyone else that I forgot to take care of me.
It is a daily struggle with my medical issues but yet I push through it all and try to reach my dreams and goals. I strive to be a better person than what I was yesterday. I try my best to take care of my children. I am also enrolled in college full time at Walden University. My dream is to be a Psychologist. I want to be a counselor through online serives and possibly my own office one day and help those with mental disorders. While trying to take care of myself and children, going to school, I use a portion of my time to help others. I create care packages for those in need with the help of the public I am able to help and change peoples’ lives. I use couponing like on the TV show Extreme Couponing. The items I get by couponing go to help not only my family but a large portion is donated to Chesterfield Mercy Mall. They in return make sure that it goes to those in need from our community.
My oldest son has medical issues that required a lot of attention and various surgeries since he was a baby. He was born with a complicated case of clubfoot. He has had many procedures and surgeries since he was two days old. He is now fifteen years old and there is no other solution but to wait to he is fully grown to correct it. He still sees his orthopedic yearly and when needed (sometimes, having a clubfoot causes pain of the affected area). He also has vision issues and wears corrective glasses. Along, with a speech issue that was worked on and somewhat overcome till he was 13. His speech has improved greatly with the help, but there are some small challenges he faces. With all the challenges he has gone through he also developed Alopecia Areata. A medical condition that makes the hair falls out in round patches. He has quite a few large patches throughout his head. I have set up an appointment to see a dermatologist after trying a failed attempt of the pediatrician’s advice to administer a prescribed ointment. She advised us if it didn’t help after a few weeks to see a dermatologist specialist. The appointment has been set up for next available appointment, which is in October 2015! Even with everything he has faced, my son is very intellectual. He excels in many areas and is in many advanced courses in high school.
My daughter has been healthy for the most part. She does have vision problems but wears corrective glasses. She is very intellectual and loves to play the guitar. She is member of the guitar ensemble group at her school.
My youngest son has been diagnosed with Neurofibromatosis Type I. He had a genetic test done when he was a baby that confirmed it. He also has the Café-au-le spots that are common with this disorder. He also is at a higher risk of developing scoliosis and learning issues. He is already struggling with school and may need to repeat this school year. I am working very hard with him so that this doesn’t happen but it’s been challenging.
In the last few months, I had to make several decisions. My husband and I agreed that it was time for us to move on. We talked for a while; we came to an agreement that our relationship was over and that he would move out of our home and the children and I would move out to a more affordable apartment. This will be a big change but it was the right decision. He is already in the process of moving out, but I have run into some roadblocks.
I am currently in a transitional period where everything must be rebuilt from A to Z. With my relationship over, I need to restart and rebuild. The biggest challenges I am facing is that I do not have the money to help move my children and I into a smaller and more affordable place. I hold a housing voucher that helps me pay the rent in the home we get approved for, but they will not assist in helping us with the security deposit or moving fees, including rental truck and movers.
As well, during the summer last year, when my ex-partner, on top of other medical issues he is battling, was diagnosed with kidney cancer (which he is now in recession, he is cancer free, as it was found early enough to be removed), we fell behind on our bills and need to catch up before End of April. This is important, because if not paid, it could possibly mean that my children and I could become homeless.
With all the changes going on, and while I figured out the moving issue, I took my car in for the yearly state inspection that was due by February 28, 2015 and it has failed. Now, I have to figure out how to correct the issues so that my children and I have a vehicle to get to our appointments, school functions, and for my charity work; and still figure out my housing problem. I was given only two weeks to correct the car inspection failure. And our housing issues needs to be resolved by April.
After these two roadblocks, a third challenge came upon me. My only pair of corrective glasses broke. My insurance only covers a vision exam every two years and no coverage for corrective glasses. A prescription for eyeglasses is only valid for one year. It has been over a year since I last had a visit so I do not qualify to get a new exam for a new prescription until late summer. For now I have rigged my glasses with tape and hope they can hold up till I can afford a new exam and pair of glasses.
Help us overcome our obstacles, so we can start our healing journey. Any donation to help my children and me to rebuild our lives is a blessing and we are grateful for any help given. Thank you again for taking some time to read my story and for helping us.
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