Hi everyone,

It is with deep humility, embarrassment, sorrow, and humbleness that I post this request for community help and support, but please know that I have exhausted all other options prior to making this very public post.

In May, I left Pennsylvania to relocate to North Carolina by accepting a job that offered a relocation package. This offer was sent to me right after my father was discharged from a major heart condition that would require him to have open heart surgery. In my mind, relocating would not only help me get a fresh start, but it would be helping my father have access to medical care, where he could also maintain his independence and freedom to see his close family and friends on his terms. It would allow me to be close by to provide additional medical care when it was needed, such as after his surgeries, which would have been unfeasible if I were to continue working in NJ, and living in PA.

2 weeks after I moved into my Charlotte apartment, my father passed away. My world turned upside down. In order to attend my father’s funeral I had to make the difficult decision to send Sahara over the rainbow bridge due to the extent of her degenerative myelopathy, after I was informed by her vet that she would not be able to survive the trip back to PA. I am grateful that I was able to provide this process for Sahara in my home where she felt safe as she transitioned.

I am not creating this request based off of his passing or Sahara’s passing, as this is a natural part of life, as devastating as it feels.

At this time, my former employer did not approve my time off to take care of my father's affairs, and I made the choice to leave that company because I needed to handle the important matters regarding my father. I was unaware, however, that there was only a limited number of Health Insurance companies who would accept my credential as a BCaBA in the State of North Carolina and I was not able to secure another job in the state of NC due to credentialing limitations.

In September, after taking the summer off to grieve the loss of my Dad and my 13 year old GSD the way I needed to, I was able to accept employment with a company who provided ABA services in 3 states, and they offered me a new opportunity to relocate to Savannah, Georgia. I was grateful to be provided with the opportunity to get out of NC, and I felt a sense of safety and security that they were sympathetic to the season of loss that I was experiencing, which provided me hope for my future.

Since my relocation to Georgia on September 29th, I began to seek medical care for myself that has been long overdue, with frequent unexplained falling, right sided numbness and tingling and weakness in my arm and leg, moderate to severe pain wasting up and down my right side. I have bilateral carpal tunnel, I require double wrist surgery on my right wrist in order to be able to use for daily tasks. Nerve conduction study tests completed as well as MRIs of my spine and brain have finally led to a conclusive diagnosis of Muscular Sclerosis. This diagnosis took almost 10 years of various testing to lead to this final diagnosis.

While it was important to receive this diagnosis so that I can begin getting the correct treatment that I have been needing for, after disclosing this to my current employer 4 days after I was diagnosed, my employer made the decision to terminate my job. This most likely was due to my no longer meeting the physical and neuro-cognitive requirements for the job (specifically to a clinic setting where I was deeply struggling with rapid changes in movement, too much pain to perform CPR or safety holds, or to move quickly enough to prevent elopement, all of could be safety risks). Although I can understand the companies reasoning, the most devastating part of the termination was that it occurred the week I was anticipating receiving my relocation stipend in addition to my regular paycheck which would have finally allowed me to be caught up with all of my moving expenses.

Prior to moving out of PA, I had prepared a nest egg for emergencies. I utilized that nest egg over the summer to grieve the loss of my father. As a result of being terminated 1 week before I was scheduled to receive my relocation stipend, and there being onIy a few days remaining in this month, I have no choice but to vacate my apartment due to my inability to maintain rental requirements which will ultimately result in legal ramifications from the property management company.

I am at a loss for the amount of misfortune that has crossed my path this past year, and I tackled each occurrence head on, time after time, to persevere through each loss, however with this most recent loss, I have exhausted all means to find a remedy for this situation. This is the last day of the month, and I will officially be in default of my apartment as of tomorrow. I am prepared to find a place in the woods down here with my tent if needed and if I am forced to vacate before raising enough funds to move back home to PA, but I am posting this fundraiser in hopes that I can raise what is needed to safely get back home.

I do not want to resort to measures such as sleeping in my car or tent, as it is not only unsafe for me, but it is unsafe for my pups, dangerous, and unpredictable.

Over the course of the past week, I have secured my prior employment with an employer in NJ, however, I was not provided with a final paycheck from my current employer, and I no longer have the means to obtain a moving truck and trailor, gas, and physical support (moving helpers) to relocate myself back to Pennsylvania. Once I am back in PA, I am ready to work part-time in a more suitable environment that can accommodate my physical and neuro-cognitive requirements, and it will allow me to establish the proper medical care that is needed so that I can get my MS symptoms under control.

I am humbly asking for your support, so that myself and my pups are not displaced, and that I can continue to maintain gainful employment and land back on my feet from this season of grief. The alternative to this is unimaginable at the moment.

Please note that I am aware that many people scoff at those who beg for help this way, wondering why don't they just work like everyone else. I am here to tell you that I am someone who wants to works, who lives for their job, and does not want to live off of the system. I want to have a purpose in life, and it feels as though I am no longer a person of value due to these new deficits from this diagnosis. After being presented with these multiple losses, I am asking for a lifeline here. I appreciate any help that may be provided, and I also understand if this request is not something you agree with. I just ask that you please share this with others that may be able to contribute so that I can make an attempt to move forward with my life and not have this situation be the end all for my life.

Sincerely and gratiously,

Amanda