Hi friends,

This is difficult for me. I don't like asking for help, at all, let alone on a large scale. But I don't know what else to do. My medical bills are beginning to crush my family.

If you're new here, let me introduce myself.

My name is Hearth. I'm a 33 year old disabled trans person living in Missouri. I've got type 2 diabetes, neuropathy in my feet and legs that causes me to walk with forearm crutches, and a myriad of mental illnesses the most pressing of which is a deep form of depression. This depression is eating away at my brain. It's causing memory loss.

Despite my disabilities I am the primary Income for my family (my partner, our 2 daughters and our 2 cats) and I work from home. Over the last couple of years my health has been on the decline, despite my diabetes being well controlled and treated. I want to be around for a long time. I want to see my kids grow up, I want to grow old with my partner, I want to see my little brother graduate high school. In order to do that I have to take care of myself. That means getting checked out by any and all doctors I need to.

As it stands I have a PCP, a neurologist , a sleep specialist, an eye doctor and a podiatrist on my care team. This is going to be filled out by a dermatologist (for some cyst issues), a psychologist, and a psychiatrist soon. That means lots of office visits and tests. As it is I have an upcoming MRI to survey the damage on my brain and an EMG nerve study to survey the extent of my neuropathy. This is on top of the large mountain of bills I already have for previous testing, visits, labs and DME.

Between what I make working full time and what my partner makes working part time, we're barely getting by. We have a roof over our heads and food in our cupboards thankfully, but the looming threat of these outstanding medical bills and those on the horizon are a constant form of stress. I've already been turned away by one of my doctors for not being able to pay their balance and I fear another is going to follow suit at my next appointment in April.

The purpose of this fundraiser is to try and raise enough funds to unbury us from the current deluge of medical debt before the next avalanche. If you can help, please do. If you can't donate then please share this widely as that helps too.

As I said at the start, I don't like asking for help. I'm stubborn about it. I always have been. But I'm trying to do right by myself and my family so I can be around for a long time. So I'm asking for help.