Swallowing my pride...we need help
Donation protected
This request comes with a heavy heart and much humbleness...
My name is Amy Dillingham. I am married with a school aged child, living in Colorado. I have been a nurse for 14 years now, but am not able to work at this time due to my illness.
I wish I could say this is the first time a horrible event caused us terrible hardships, but it is not. In 2010 I sustained a spinal cord injury at work. No matter how much you make in AZ, you are given a top amount of $1500/month (our mortgage was more than that). We cashed in all of our retirement & savings, let all of our credit go (to try to save the house), and are still trying to financially recover from that fallout. Not to mention I have continue to have spasticity in my left arm and very little dexterity left in my left hand. And, the chronic pain that goes with all of that.
I survived 2 cancers last year (cervical & thyroid). The cancer treatment (chemo) has left me with several problems: dysautonomia- P.O.T.S with neurocardiogenic syncope to name the 2 big ones, & also recently have found that my lower spine has started to degenerate, due to the radiation I received. I have difficulty standing or even sitting for short periods of time, my memory has been affected (I have difficulty during conversations following what someone is saying or even forget whole days have occurred). My constantly fluctuating heart rate and blood pressure cause me to have difficulty functioning, daily. I have difficulty walking, and have fallen many times. I am in PT and use a cane to try to be more functional. I cannot do anything strenuous...even folding clothes or filling/emptying the diswasher (any "house" work inside or out) makes my heart rate race to the point I have to stop and sit or lay down; sometimes it is hours later before I can finish what I started...or it just does not get done. Even taking a shower is a dangerous for me; heat is terrible for me. If I am too hot, I start having problems with my cognition first and then sometimes even faint. Stress is even worse...and this stress is killing me.
I was on STD, until we were denied this past Monday. So, more hoops we shall jump through. But, in the meantime I am did not receive a pay check this last week, and we were already behind. I waited over a month for the last check for the same reason. STD does not pay 100% of your income, and we have to pay for our insurance from the reduced amount I had been receiving. My husband is my primary caregiver, and has had to reduce his work hours consistently for the last year and a half due to my endless doctor appointments (he attends, because many times I have difficulty answering the doctors questions due to my memory problems or just cognition in general and to assist me in getting to the offices, going for imaging, blood work, PT, etc.), caring for our daughter, our home, grocery shopping, keeping up with the house, etc. during the day and working as he can (many times all night after being up all day), to try to keep us a float. It has been quite a strain on all of us: physically, mentally, & emotionally.
We are $800 behind on our health insurance ($400 of which has to be paid today...or our insurance will be cancelled and back dated to 7/1/16...the medical bills included during that time frame would be over $50, 000 alone!), we are extremely behind on our rent, and soon our utility bills (all set-up on auto-pay) will be bouncing, and I have 6 more appointments in the 2 weeks (no insurance no treatment)...we really need help, please.
To reach out, pubically like this and ask for help is the most vulnerable thing I have ever done. But, I do not know what else to do at this point to make it through this very rough patch we are in.
Thank you for reading my story. Thank you to those who are able to contribute even $5-10. We appreciate any help!
My name is Amy Dillingham. I am married with a school aged child, living in Colorado. I have been a nurse for 14 years now, but am not able to work at this time due to my illness.
I wish I could say this is the first time a horrible event caused us terrible hardships, but it is not. In 2010 I sustained a spinal cord injury at work. No matter how much you make in AZ, you are given a top amount of $1500/month (our mortgage was more than that). We cashed in all of our retirement & savings, let all of our credit go (to try to save the house), and are still trying to financially recover from that fallout. Not to mention I have continue to have spasticity in my left arm and very little dexterity left in my left hand. And, the chronic pain that goes with all of that.
I survived 2 cancers last year (cervical & thyroid). The cancer treatment (chemo) has left me with several problems: dysautonomia- P.O.T.S with neurocardiogenic syncope to name the 2 big ones, & also recently have found that my lower spine has started to degenerate, due to the radiation I received. I have difficulty standing or even sitting for short periods of time, my memory has been affected (I have difficulty during conversations following what someone is saying or even forget whole days have occurred). My constantly fluctuating heart rate and blood pressure cause me to have difficulty functioning, daily. I have difficulty walking, and have fallen many times. I am in PT and use a cane to try to be more functional. I cannot do anything strenuous...even folding clothes or filling/emptying the diswasher (any "house" work inside or out) makes my heart rate race to the point I have to stop and sit or lay down; sometimes it is hours later before I can finish what I started...or it just does not get done. Even taking a shower is a dangerous for me; heat is terrible for me. If I am too hot, I start having problems with my cognition first and then sometimes even faint. Stress is even worse...and this stress is killing me.
I was on STD, until we were denied this past Monday. So, more hoops we shall jump through. But, in the meantime I am did not receive a pay check this last week, and we were already behind. I waited over a month for the last check for the same reason. STD does not pay 100% of your income, and we have to pay for our insurance from the reduced amount I had been receiving. My husband is my primary caregiver, and has had to reduce his work hours consistently for the last year and a half due to my endless doctor appointments (he attends, because many times I have difficulty answering the doctors questions due to my memory problems or just cognition in general and to assist me in getting to the offices, going for imaging, blood work, PT, etc.), caring for our daughter, our home, grocery shopping, keeping up with the house, etc. during the day and working as he can (many times all night after being up all day), to try to keep us a float. It has been quite a strain on all of us: physically, mentally, & emotionally.
We are $800 behind on our health insurance ($400 of which has to be paid today...or our insurance will be cancelled and back dated to 7/1/16...the medical bills included during that time frame would be over $50, 000 alone!), we are extremely behind on our rent, and soon our utility bills (all set-up on auto-pay) will be bouncing, and I have 6 more appointments in the 2 weeks (no insurance no treatment)...we really need help, please.
To reach out, pubically like this and ask for help is the most vulnerable thing I have ever done. But, I do not know what else to do at this point to make it through this very rough patch we are in.
Thank you for reading my story. Thank you to those who are able to contribute even $5-10. We appreciate any help!
Organizer
Amy Dillingham
Organizer
Denver, CO