Rent and Household bills.

Hi - I'm Sue Cochran, and I'm a 52 year old mother of an 18 year old son on the cusp of graduating from HS in June. We have suffered a "series of unfortunate events" as it were - a number of situations in recent years which have left us very financially needy. I am so grateful that we have medicaid and food stamps, and I am on SSI disability, but this doesn't come even close to paying our bills. Matthew has finally finished jumping through all of the hoops (getting an official copy of his birth certificate, and getting the proofs of residency that the MVA will accept) that were holding him up in obtaining a non-driver's ID, which will now allow him to search for a job as well, so things are looking up for him to soon be able to help out.

My left foot broke in August of 2012, and then my right foot in September 2013. This is due to a condition I didn't know I had until the second break - Mueller Weiss sydrome. This is in addition to the other "gifts" I've been given by heredity - both physical and mental illnesses which have made life very difficult for me. I am much improved compared to how I was doing before the medication regimen that I'm now on, but I'm still seeking help in functioning better in my life to enable me to be self-supporting again.

Even with all the blows I've been dealt, I am grateful that I am able to walk again, although it's limited by the peripheral neuropathy I have, which ended my career as a massage therapist back in 2001. I also have an optimistic focus on the future - I know that things will improve and that I will be able to muster the resources to make that happen. It just feels like the progress is so slow sometimes.

My son's father lost his job and we lost child support from him in April of 2011. He does not respond to phone calls or e-mail, and I don't know where he is or how to reach him. My mother, who had been helping us out financially, 2 years ago had a fall, and medical conditions developed that required her to resettle in an assisted living facility, so she is now unable to aid us any further. My boyfriend we had been living with moved out, and we subsequently broke up, so his contribution to our household ended.

I sought help starting nearly 2 years ago for the My Ticket to Work Social Security program which is supposed to help people on disability move back into the working world. I have worked with DORS (Department of Rehabilitation Services) and Alliance (an organization in the community where I live that helps those with mental illness with job seekkng), but both of these agencies have been moving at a GLACIAL pace, so I still have no work, which is tremendously frustrating.

I don't yet know what I'm capable of doing, but I'm sure I could do SOMETHING that would allow me to be self-supporting again and contribute to the world - something that would not drive me crazy! I miss the freedom and satisfaction that earning my own money affords me. I want to be independent again.
 
I owe my wonderful landlord half a year's rent. This happened last year as well, and I solved that problem by going into my son's college fund, which I hated to do. He is starting at college this fall, and I promised him I would find another way to get our bills paid this time. A friend told me about this website, and so I am hoping to raise the money to pay our bills to relieve the terrible anxiety that our financial situation has been causing me.

I firmly believe in the principal of "What goes around comes around." I have in my life been at times able to help out others, financially in some cases, both friends and neighbors and even strangers, including taking in friends who were homeless, and it made me feel terrific. I've helped folks move, and I have been helped as well. Now I'm turning for financial help to this website, and reaching out to people who are in a position of being able and willing to help out our family.

Thank you so much for your consideration of our request for help. God bless you.