A Hand Up, Not A Handout

 My story starts a long time ago – in fact, when I was 10 -- God put the desire in my heart to be a foster parent. He was preparing my heart and mind in advance that I would never be able to have biological children. I had no clue that, years later, a life-saving surgery would prevent me from ever having children of my own.

 I have no parents to speak of, my father having died when I was 13 and my mother is not in my life due to circumstances beyond my control. I became a ward of the state at 17.

 At 32-years-old, I have experienced a rather long streak of unfortunate events in the past 18 months, and I am asking for assistance. If I'm honest, I am uncomfortable and somewhat embarrassed about having to resort to this, but I fear my only other option is to declare bankruptcy and apply for government assistance, as most of my medical bills are in collections and have been for over a year.

 In April of 2018, after months of recurrent pain, doctors discovered a lump in my abdominal area. After multiple tests and scans over the next month or so, I met with an OBGYN oncologist, who then sent me to a urologist for a growth affecting my kidneys. Stents were inserted in my ureters.

 On July 3rd, I went to the emergency room with a fever and was sent home with antibiotics. I was menstruating, but I was losing abnormal amounts of blood, much of it in large clumps. After three days, I could hardly walk from weakness, dizziness, and pain, and a friend took me back to the ER. I was given two blood transfusions and a third the following day. A nurse told me that my blood levels were dangerously low; if I had waited any longer, I may have died.

On July 9, the doctor decided I needed to have a hysterectomy in order to remove the mass, the cysts, and the endometriosis. Because the surgery immediately brought on menopause, I have to take medicine, which my insurance does not cover.

 My recovery took two months. I do not have sick days or vacation days at the agency where I am a social worker. Needless to say, there was no money coming in.

 I returned to work, but only on a limited basis at first per doctor’s orders. Then, the medical bills started to pile up. My medical-sharing plan did cover about $40,000; and with help from friends, church members, and a charitable fundraiser, I was able to cover another couple thousand.


 Since I came to know Christ when I was 16, I have always tried to live my life to honor the Lord. I went to college and to grad school with very limited assistance; thus, I had to take student loans. My current balance is over $120,000, but I am on the income-based payback program; any funds raised will NOT be used for that purpose.

Fostering:
 After I got my foster care license in November 2018, I had a few children with me for respite care. In January of this year, I decided to foster a child, a toddler, who—like me—was/is in an unhealthy family situation. This is my first year as a mom. I absolutely love it. It’s a beautiful gift. I rock my precious girl to sleep almost every night. I cherish each day and night that I get to spend with her, for I do not know how long it will last.  I remind myself often that I am fostering today and trusting God for her tomorrow.  Even though in fostering there are challenges, surprises, and uncertainties in being a mom, it’s all worth it. I'm thankful that The Lord provides parenthood in many forms.

My hope is to raise $8000 to cover my outstanding medical bills.

 I believe that God ALWAYS provides for us emotionally, physically, and spiritually. Things have certainly not gone the way I planned or wanted, but things have gone the way that the Lord has chosen.

 I thank you for reading my story, and God’s blessings on all of you.