Disabled USAF Veteran Needs Help!
Donation protected
The following "novella" originally written in October, is about my mother and me and the terrible time we're having just to stay alive and escape homelessness. I am stressed almost to the point of giving up and saying to hell with it all!
MY STORY:
I am 57 years old and an unemployed disabled USAF Veteran. My service related medical condition is minimal but I have several other problems that have developed over the years and continue to do so as I get older. I was first diagnosed with Breast Cancer about 18 months ago. I am now going through my 3rd round of Chemo and Radiation. My mother is 83 years old and has Stage 4 Dementia. She's the only family I have left. I lost the rest of my family to illness and the Iraq war. My mother is bedridden and I am her only caretaker. I'm responsible for all aspects of our lives...cooking, cleaning, shopping, laundry, yard work, etc. and I have no one nor any government agency helping me.
About a year ago, my mother had a psychotic break. She basically lost all touch with reality. She accused me of some awful things such as lying about everything, sabotaging her laptop computer and telephone as well as wanting her dead and that I was trying to kill her. We have a joint bank account in which her Social Security and my VA disability benefit is directly deposited into. She phoned the bank, told them I was stealing from her and had the account locked. I had no idea she had done this until I tried to access the account.
The majority of our monthly bills such as auto and mobile home insurance, telephone, cable, etc. are on auto pay. These payments were denied because the bank account was locked. I have my mother's Power of Attorney and it took about a month but I finally got the bank situation straightened out. However, the damage was already done.
There were late fees, penalty fees and all kinds of other fees. I've pretty much gotten things back in order but all those fees were very costly and I had to use our emergency resources in order to pay our bills. I've had to use our credit cards to the point that they are all maxed out. I'm struggling to pay our usual monthly bills, made worse because of the increased amount of credit card payments. There is nothing left for unexpected expenses or usual yearly and/or seasonal maintenance. And, I've got a lot of them.
My car is 23 years old. It has an oil leak. All 4 tires are bald, cracked in some places and 2 of them have slow air leaks. I haven't been able to afford a tune up in years. The driver's seat and belt buckle are broken. The registration expired in October.
I was hospitalized for 10 days in May. I had arranged for a home health care worker to stay with my mother through her medical insurance which is Kaiser. When I got home I was shocked to learn that her Kaiser plan only covered the home care worker for 5 days and she had been alone and on her own for 5 days. Inside the mobile home was trashed, the worst area was my room. I have 2 dogs. My mother had locked them in my room for the 5 days she was unattended with only 1 bowl of water and 2 bowls of food. My bed, bedding and carpet was destroyed. The window above my bed was broken and there was glass everywhere. My dogs both had several injuries from the glass and because they turned on each other.
There are several leaks in the ceiling of our mobile home. One of those leaks is right above where I keep my 8-year-old computer. I can't move my computer because the cable cord is not long enough and I can't afford a service call nor an extension. With rainy season here that is a major problem as well as the broken window above my bed. The cooler needs to be shut down for the winter and the heater serviced and turned on as well. I've been sleeping on a recliner in the living room for months because the damage to my bed and bedding is so extensive...replacing these items is simply not an option.
I just don't have the funds to take care of the above or the many other problems not mentioned here. I would greatly appreciate a donation!
Please share this campaign on Facebook and Twitter!
Thank you for your time and consideration!
MY STORY:
I am 57 years old and an unemployed disabled USAF Veteran. My service related medical condition is minimal but I have several other problems that have developed over the years and continue to do so as I get older. I was first diagnosed with Breast Cancer about 18 months ago. I am now going through my 3rd round of Chemo and Radiation. My mother is 83 years old and has Stage 4 Dementia. She's the only family I have left. I lost the rest of my family to illness and the Iraq war. My mother is bedridden and I am her only caretaker. I'm responsible for all aspects of our lives...cooking, cleaning, shopping, laundry, yard work, etc. and I have no one nor any government agency helping me.
About a year ago, my mother had a psychotic break. She basically lost all touch with reality. She accused me of some awful things such as lying about everything, sabotaging her laptop computer and telephone as well as wanting her dead and that I was trying to kill her. We have a joint bank account in which her Social Security and my VA disability benefit is directly deposited into. She phoned the bank, told them I was stealing from her and had the account locked. I had no idea she had done this until I tried to access the account.
The majority of our monthly bills such as auto and mobile home insurance, telephone, cable, etc. are on auto pay. These payments were denied because the bank account was locked. I have my mother's Power of Attorney and it took about a month but I finally got the bank situation straightened out. However, the damage was already done.
There were late fees, penalty fees and all kinds of other fees. I've pretty much gotten things back in order but all those fees were very costly and I had to use our emergency resources in order to pay our bills. I've had to use our credit cards to the point that they are all maxed out. I'm struggling to pay our usual monthly bills, made worse because of the increased amount of credit card payments. There is nothing left for unexpected expenses or usual yearly and/or seasonal maintenance. And, I've got a lot of them.
My car is 23 years old. It has an oil leak. All 4 tires are bald, cracked in some places and 2 of them have slow air leaks. I haven't been able to afford a tune up in years. The driver's seat and belt buckle are broken. The registration expired in October.
I was hospitalized for 10 days in May. I had arranged for a home health care worker to stay with my mother through her medical insurance which is Kaiser. When I got home I was shocked to learn that her Kaiser plan only covered the home care worker for 5 days and she had been alone and on her own for 5 days. Inside the mobile home was trashed, the worst area was my room. I have 2 dogs. My mother had locked them in my room for the 5 days she was unattended with only 1 bowl of water and 2 bowls of food. My bed, bedding and carpet was destroyed. The window above my bed was broken and there was glass everywhere. My dogs both had several injuries from the glass and because they turned on each other.
There are several leaks in the ceiling of our mobile home. One of those leaks is right above where I keep my 8-year-old computer. I can't move my computer because the cable cord is not long enough and I can't afford a service call nor an extension. With rainy season here that is a major problem as well as the broken window above my bed. The cooler needs to be shut down for the winter and the heater serviced and turned on as well. I've been sleeping on a recliner in the living room for months because the damage to my bed and bedding is so extensive...replacing these items is simply not an option.
I just don't have the funds to take care of the above or the many other problems not mentioned here. I would greatly appreciate a donation!
Please share this campaign on Facebook and Twitter!
Thank you for your time and consideration!
Organizer
Phyl D Brown
Organizer
Concord, CA