Kat's Rehab
Donation protected
Hi everyone,
My name is Joshua Blais, and I am writing to ask for your help. I am desperate to help my wife Kat, to at least give her some comfort. My Mom has this saying "“ "If you have a roof over your head, 3 meals per day, and your health, you are rich". If Kat had her health, and we could both eat 3 meals per day, we might keep the roof over our heads. We would definitely be rich. With Kat's health deteriorating causing us to pay for different medical treatments, and medication, and her not being able to work at this point, and my being self-employed without benefits, we sometimes cannot afford to buy food.
Some of you may know that Kat has been struggling with health problems for the last little while. This has increased in the last 6 months, and now caused serious financial problems. We are at a point where we have to choose between eating or paying for medication and treatment for Kat.
I know we have a better health care system than the US, but like the US, if you do not have a job with benefits, or are rich, even if you have a diagnostic (for free) of your medical condition, treating it can be very expensive. Kat and I come from middle-class families. Neither of our families have much extra money to spare. My Mom, my Dad, and my in-laws were more than generous for Christmas to help us out. We are so grateful!
This is our situation. Kat was rear-ended in a car accident a few months before we got married (4 years ago). She injured her back as a result. For the first few years, Kat was able to get better, almost back to normal, as she underwent physiotherapy, prolotherapy, and massage treatments, paid for by the car insurance. She was able to work, and lead a normal life. Somewhere in her treatment, the insurance company started reneging on the payment of treatments, getting Kat evaluated over and over, and kept changing her adjustor, mailing information to the wrong address, and a few other mistakes. Recently, Kat asked the company for a small settlement to get it over with, and have a bit of money for uninterrupted treatments, so she could stop stressing about large medical bills that we were unprepared for. The adjustor pretty much told her to get herself a lawyer and fight them. If we had the money to pay for a lawyer to fight an insurance company, we would have money for medical treatments for Kat.
Approximately 6 months ago, Kat's back flared up, and really took a turn for the worse. Kat has gone through many tests, exams and assessments including X-rays, MRI's, nuclear bone scans, ultrasounds, etc. She does have a ruptured disc, and a bulging disc to the inside of the body, and a bump on her coccyx, soft tissue injury, and it's now degenerative. And if that was not enough, Kat ended up with "gastroparesis" as a result of all the medication she took (anti-inflammatory, pain medication) to help with her back injury. Gastroparesis is basically a partial paralysis of the stomach, a medical condition where food stays in the stomach for longer than is normal. Kat can no longer take any medication to ease the back pain, as a result. Her back has gotten so bad, that she had to stop working. At first, she was on Medical Employment Insurance, but that ran out just before Christmas. We are now living off one salary. Since I am self-employed, my salary fluctuates with the economy, which as you know, is not the greatest right now. This also means that we do not have extra medical benefits, and since the car insurance keeps decreasing payment of treatments, Kat has to pay 75% of physiotherapy treatments, and we pay full price for medication. She is prescribed Nexium for her stomach at the cost of $200.00 per month.
Kat walks with crutches to ease the pain in her back, and has been confined to the house for the last 5 months. She mainly stays in our bedroom (on the upper level) because coming down stairs is very painful. We moved the toaster, and the TV to our bedroom to allow Kat to take care of herself while I am at work (if she can get out of bed). Before I leave in the morning, I prepare a few food items that her stomach can take, and some water, in a small cooler that I leave by our bed. If I am lucky and work close to home, I come home for lunch to check on her, and help her take a shower.
Kat is limited on the way she can sit in bed comfortably, or even lay down. Between the back injury, and the gastroparesis, getting comfortable is almost impossible. For the back injury, it would be better if she could lie down and use pillows under her knees to relieve some pressure, but for her stomach, it is better if she is in an incline sitting position to try to help her digest.
Kat has tried different treatments to get better, or at least get some relief. Some barely help and others have actually made it worse. Recently her physiotherapist, and doctors, recommended she do aqua therapy exercises in a therapeutic hot tub to get some pain relief, and to hopefully strengthen her muscles to help support her back. We would love to buy a small therapeutic hot tub but have no money, and Kat can barely walk, let alone go somewhere for aqua therapy.
Ever since I met Kat, she has always been very selfless and outgoing. She has always put others first and would literally give them the shirt off her back to help them. Now we are in trouble, and need your help.
We filled out the paperwork and hope Kat will be accepted for a disability pension. We were told that it may take 6 months to kick in. We have cut everything we can, except our basic TV cable and internet. We will be looking for a cheaper place to live as our lease expires. I've been applying for jobs that I think would pay a bit more, and maybe offer benefits for at least 6 months with no luck. I considered taking a second job, at night, to supplement our income, but if I do that, there will be no one to take care of Kat, our house or anything else that needs to be done at home. We looked into volunteers from different agencies, to take Kat to her medical appointments, so I do not have to miss work, but we soon realized that although volunteers provide the services, it does not mean it's free. We still have to pay the mileage, which sometimes is almost more than taking a cab. Kat's pain level is at a 7 out of 10 on a good day, and way beyond a 10 out of 10 on most days. Recently Kat told me that the pain from her back injury, and the gastroparesis is worse than her 3 bouts of cancer and chemo treatment put together.
Kat is 33 years old, and her only joy at this time, is to see her husband when he gets home, and our fur babies, our bunny and our dog.
I know most people have things going on in their lives too, and I am humbly coming to you for help. I'm hoping to fundraise a bit of money to help pay for Kat's medical treatments and medication. Any little bit you could provide would help to no end. As a husband, it's gut-wrenching to watch my wife in so much pain. I feel so powerless to help her. I don't make enough money to support us, pay our bills, and the medical costs on top of that. I try to eat 2 meals per day instead of 3, and we keep trying to find ways to lessen our financial situation. We do not have immediate solutions. A disability pension will help, but it can take 6 months to happen. We are looking at moving to a cheaper place, but we have to find a place, and move, which also takes money. I continue to work, and apply for other work, hoping to find a better paying job with benefits.
Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Thank you.
Kat and Jo
My name is Joshua Blais, and I am writing to ask for your help. I am desperate to help my wife Kat, to at least give her some comfort. My Mom has this saying "“ "If you have a roof over your head, 3 meals per day, and your health, you are rich". If Kat had her health, and we could both eat 3 meals per day, we might keep the roof over our heads. We would definitely be rich. With Kat's health deteriorating causing us to pay for different medical treatments, and medication, and her not being able to work at this point, and my being self-employed without benefits, we sometimes cannot afford to buy food.
Some of you may know that Kat has been struggling with health problems for the last little while. This has increased in the last 6 months, and now caused serious financial problems. We are at a point where we have to choose between eating or paying for medication and treatment for Kat.
I know we have a better health care system than the US, but like the US, if you do not have a job with benefits, or are rich, even if you have a diagnostic (for free) of your medical condition, treating it can be very expensive. Kat and I come from middle-class families. Neither of our families have much extra money to spare. My Mom, my Dad, and my in-laws were more than generous for Christmas to help us out. We are so grateful!
This is our situation. Kat was rear-ended in a car accident a few months before we got married (4 years ago). She injured her back as a result. For the first few years, Kat was able to get better, almost back to normal, as she underwent physiotherapy, prolotherapy, and massage treatments, paid for by the car insurance. She was able to work, and lead a normal life. Somewhere in her treatment, the insurance company started reneging on the payment of treatments, getting Kat evaluated over and over, and kept changing her adjustor, mailing information to the wrong address, and a few other mistakes. Recently, Kat asked the company for a small settlement to get it over with, and have a bit of money for uninterrupted treatments, so she could stop stressing about large medical bills that we were unprepared for. The adjustor pretty much told her to get herself a lawyer and fight them. If we had the money to pay for a lawyer to fight an insurance company, we would have money for medical treatments for Kat.
Approximately 6 months ago, Kat's back flared up, and really took a turn for the worse. Kat has gone through many tests, exams and assessments including X-rays, MRI's, nuclear bone scans, ultrasounds, etc. She does have a ruptured disc, and a bulging disc to the inside of the body, and a bump on her coccyx, soft tissue injury, and it's now degenerative. And if that was not enough, Kat ended up with "gastroparesis" as a result of all the medication she took (anti-inflammatory, pain medication) to help with her back injury. Gastroparesis is basically a partial paralysis of the stomach, a medical condition where food stays in the stomach for longer than is normal. Kat can no longer take any medication to ease the back pain, as a result. Her back has gotten so bad, that she had to stop working. At first, she was on Medical Employment Insurance, but that ran out just before Christmas. We are now living off one salary. Since I am self-employed, my salary fluctuates with the economy, which as you know, is not the greatest right now. This also means that we do not have extra medical benefits, and since the car insurance keeps decreasing payment of treatments, Kat has to pay 75% of physiotherapy treatments, and we pay full price for medication. She is prescribed Nexium for her stomach at the cost of $200.00 per month.
Kat walks with crutches to ease the pain in her back, and has been confined to the house for the last 5 months. She mainly stays in our bedroom (on the upper level) because coming down stairs is very painful. We moved the toaster, and the TV to our bedroom to allow Kat to take care of herself while I am at work (if she can get out of bed). Before I leave in the morning, I prepare a few food items that her stomach can take, and some water, in a small cooler that I leave by our bed. If I am lucky and work close to home, I come home for lunch to check on her, and help her take a shower.
Kat is limited on the way she can sit in bed comfortably, or even lay down. Between the back injury, and the gastroparesis, getting comfortable is almost impossible. For the back injury, it would be better if she could lie down and use pillows under her knees to relieve some pressure, but for her stomach, it is better if she is in an incline sitting position to try to help her digest.
Kat has tried different treatments to get better, or at least get some relief. Some barely help and others have actually made it worse. Recently her physiotherapist, and doctors, recommended she do aqua therapy exercises in a therapeutic hot tub to get some pain relief, and to hopefully strengthen her muscles to help support her back. We would love to buy a small therapeutic hot tub but have no money, and Kat can barely walk, let alone go somewhere for aqua therapy.
Ever since I met Kat, she has always been very selfless and outgoing. She has always put others first and would literally give them the shirt off her back to help them. Now we are in trouble, and need your help.
We filled out the paperwork and hope Kat will be accepted for a disability pension. We were told that it may take 6 months to kick in. We have cut everything we can, except our basic TV cable and internet. We will be looking for a cheaper place to live as our lease expires. I've been applying for jobs that I think would pay a bit more, and maybe offer benefits for at least 6 months with no luck. I considered taking a second job, at night, to supplement our income, but if I do that, there will be no one to take care of Kat, our house or anything else that needs to be done at home. We looked into volunteers from different agencies, to take Kat to her medical appointments, so I do not have to miss work, but we soon realized that although volunteers provide the services, it does not mean it's free. We still have to pay the mileage, which sometimes is almost more than taking a cab. Kat's pain level is at a 7 out of 10 on a good day, and way beyond a 10 out of 10 on most days. Recently Kat told me that the pain from her back injury, and the gastroparesis is worse than her 3 bouts of cancer and chemo treatment put together.
Kat is 33 years old, and her only joy at this time, is to see her husband when he gets home, and our fur babies, our bunny and our dog.
I know most people have things going on in their lives too, and I am humbly coming to you for help. I'm hoping to fundraise a bit of money to help pay for Kat's medical treatments and medication. Any little bit you could provide would help to no end. As a husband, it's gut-wrenching to watch my wife in so much pain. I feel so powerless to help her. I don't make enough money to support us, pay our bills, and the medical costs on top of that. I try to eat 2 meals per day instead of 3, and we keep trying to find ways to lessen our financial situation. We do not have immediate solutions. A disability pension will help, but it can take 6 months to happen. We are looking at moving to a cheaper place, but we have to find a place, and move, which also takes money. I continue to work, and apply for other work, hoping to find a better paying job with benefits.
Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Thank you.
Kat and Jo
Organizer
Kat Paradis-Blais
Organizer
