Asking For Help

This story is long, but here it is. Last December, I got sick. Fever, vomiting, and extreme pain caused me to go to the ER in Boise 4 times between late December and late January, where I was told nothing was wrong and given pills for the pain. Finally, on January 29th, I went again and was hospitalized for 5 days because I was septic. It was determined I had PID and a large abscess on my right ovary. After 2 more weeks of antibiotics, I had a surgery that removed my fallopian tubes and my right ovary. During that time, we were evicted from our home because I had not been able to work. Given our situation, and the promise of jobs in Eugene, we packed our belongings and spent every penny we had and moved. We were both able to work, and things were tight, but we were getting by. In May, I started feeling sick again. This time on the left side. I went to the ER and a small cyst was discovered on my left ovary. No big deal, as I've had them before and it's a common problem that comes with having PCOS. I was given pain pills again. I went back a week later, when the painkillers weren't helping, and found the cyst had doubled in size. After going to a specialist, I was told just to wait it out. So I did that until July 13th, when it was determined it had nearly doubled in size again. At that point, we scheduled a surgery and had the images sent to an imaging specialist for a deeper look. I lost my OHP coverage due to a clerical error, the day before the results came back re-naming my "cyst" as a "mass" because it contains tissue and had its own blood supply. It was explained to me that I wasn't filing a cyst with fluid or blood, but rather that something was growing inside my ovary. The move had put our SSI on hold for investigation, and we lost our apartment because our income wasn't enough to keep us afloat with my missed days for appointments. Once again, we moved, going to stay with family in Albany, OR. We tried to keep working, driving 45 minutes back each day, but eventually our transportation disappeared and we were forced to look for work in the town where we are. I'm facing another surgery to remove my left ovary and, given the results of the biopsy, possibly treatments involving radiation or chemotherapy. They aren't using the term cancer, but they're definitely not taking it off the table. Due to the location and nature of the mass, they won't know anything until they try to get it out. Throughout all of this, we have been trying to keep up with a storage unit in Eugene, which holds all of our belongings outside of a half-broken laptop and 3 bins of clothes. We moved at the same time as two other families we knew. We got a large unit with them, and paid it ourselves for as long as we could. We had to stop paying in order to pay our living expenses, and now we are in danger of losing everything we own. Our ability to stay living where we are hangs by a thread, and all the shelters we have contacted are full. We are working, and eventually SSI will be reinstated, but we aren't making enough to save for our own place and there is no determined timeline for when we will get that supplemental income again. Our son cannot go to a regular daycare facility, or be watched by his sister, because of his tracheostomy and medical conditions. I've been told repeatedly to ask for help. I'm not good at it. I'm not one who has ever been in a situation where I didn't have a back up. But all of my backup has been used, and I'm not sure we can survive if I don't put aside my pride and ask. The first portion of the funds I'm asking for will pay up or storage unit, so that I can move my things to a free space that had been offered. Our beds, clothes, my costumes, or children's toys and bikes, everything will be saved and save us from trying to regain our things on top of all of our ongoing trials. The other portion will help us with a deposit for a small apartment near enough to where we work or on the bus line so we can keep the jobs we've worked so hard to obtain, and minimal living expenses while I am recovering from surgery and treatments.  I'm not a person who is beyond living within their means. We do not require space or luxury in order to be happy and raise happy children. I am not asking for help with rent once we gain a place, because I will not seek a place we can't afford on our income. Anything that isn't used will be offered to be returned to donators in an even distribution, or to be passed on to charities or other campaigns by majority vote of the donators. I can't thank you enough, both for taking the time to hear our story and for any donation you might feel moved to make. The faster we can secure or belongings and get into a stable space, the sooner we can recover safety to our little family, and I can get my surgery and treatments knowing it won't put us back even farther. I will feel safe registering my children for school, and knowing they will be able to stay and make friends and build a life. This has been a whirlwind of fear, anxiety, and sadness, and the love and kindness is so very appreciated.