Disability shouldn't = homelessness
The day I leaned over the shoulder of a cardiologist to look at my heart graph was the day I realized what ‘disabled’ was going to mean to me. In spite of being athletic, never smoking or rarely drinking and living a vegan lifestyle I saw one whole side of my heart in black—it had completely died. Partial heart muscle on the right side also died, and the valve wasn’t working very well. In spite of everything I’d done, there was nothing to be done to make things better.
That night as I tossed and turned I experienced loss of breath just being under the covers. It was the beginning of a new life I’d worked so hard to never experience.
Living in Seattle is expensive. All of a sudden, I could only live on disability, $1841 per month. My rent was $1750 at the time. I also had car payments, mobile service, internet services and car insurance. It takes me 3k to just cover the basics. This is untenable.
I began researching where I could live. The places in the US that were affordable just weren’t places I wanted to start over. When a magazine article showed up in my Facebook feed about best places to ‘retire’ I found a spot of interest. I can’t retire—the heart attacks wiped out my chances of recovering from the recession at the new CMO role I was in.
Best thing ever, there are local dog rescues that spay, neuter, train, foster and re-home. This is a passion of mine and I’ve worked in dog rescue most of my adult life. Mexico has a huge problem with street animals which is a problem for animal AND human health challenge.
There’s one problem. I cannot save the money on my disability checks. In fact, I was told that I earned too MUCH disability for Medicaid. I have to start paying for medical insurance starting at around $400 a month. My two heart attacks cost over $275k in the US. Ongoing heart care can run up to 20k a year. Mexico offers basic medical care for very little money. I feel like it's the best and only option for me.
So, I’m reaching out to you for help. The cost to get to Mexico will cost from 3-4k.
What do you get if you donate to this very personal cause? Gratitude and a place to stay in Mexico in the Sierra Madres should you choose to visit. Fame on Twitter and Facebook...as far as my reach can go.
Give, Donate, Share:
https://www.gofundme.com/HelpSaveMexicanStreetDogs
Thank you.
My best to you and yours,
Miller Canning
