Hello, I’m Kim and in that picture with me are my beautiful daughters. I work as a manager in retail, I make just enough money that I don’t qualify for assistance and too little money to be able to afford insurance. Last November I had a diverticulitis flare up that landed me in the emergency room with over 6,000$ in bills. Two weeks ago I had a negative Pap smear. They did a biopsy and today I got the phone call that my worst fears are confirmed. I have cancerous cells in my cervix. I listened numbly as the doctor explained that cervical cancer is the only cancer that  can be caught early enough to prevent devastation. Mine has been caught early enough that hopefully a full hysterectomy will be enough to rid me of the cancerous cells.  Since my job requires me to be on my feet 9 hours a day I’m going to have to take a full month off for the procedure and the recovery. Not to sound dramatic, because I know everyone has had a rough year, but this is making me wonder when the hits will stop coming. I’ve managed to live meagerly and humbly up till now without having to ask for help or accumulate debt from credit cards and extravagant spending. I wasn’t raised to live outside of my means and it’s killing me now to face this mounting debt that will ruin what I’ve worked so hard for. I’ve been getting by for the last couple of months slowly paying down the ER bill but now I’m humbled enough to admit I’m drowning and I need some help. Because I don’t have insurance I’ll have to put down a percentage just to schedule the surgery and would love to be able to pay for it all up front so I don’t add another bill to my already stretched thin budget. On top of that I have to pay for an entire month of bills with no income from work. I am asking for any help that can be given to get us through this unthinkable time. I don’t wish this level of fear and anxiety on anyone. For whatever is given to me during this time, my only hope is that I can one day pay it forward to someone else who finds themselves unexpectedly in my shoes. My deepest respect and thanks to you for any thoughts, prayers, or monetary contributions.