A broken mind, a broken face, and broken colon

There comes a time when we have to shove down our egos, swallow our pride, and ask for help. It is so hard to do this, and Steve and I have really wrestled with even considering putting it all out there. We are deeply embarrassed, incredibly ashamed, and unabashedly mortified that we are doing this.

As most who know me are aware, I have been struggling with severe depression. While I’ve battled with bouts of depression for most of my life, the past few years have been wrought with a deep depression which was crippling, leading to a diagnosis of Major Depressive Disorder. Although I was (and still am) being treated intensively with medication and therapy, it came to a head in August of 2024. I had to leave my job to help get control over my mental health. It was only intended to be a brief sabbatical for 3-4 months, but an unexpected injury put that plan on hold. A week before Thanksgiving in November of 2024, I suffered from a broken cheekbone and nasal fracture. I was being greeted by my overly-excited dog when his skull collided with my face just below my right eye. The bones were displaced from the force of the collision (fret not: the dog was and is completely unharmed by the knocking of his noggin!), and I was forced to undergo surgery to reduce the fractures in my face (reset my bones, so to speak). Those two things alone put a huge strain on us financially. Times are so hard for everybody right now. But being down to a single income longer than anticipated has taken a major toll. And now, to make matters worse, Steve suffered a major setback with his health.

On Sunday, March 16, Steve went to the Emergency Room for severe abdominal pain. It had come on rather suddenly a few days prior and got consistently worse. By the time we got to the hospital, he suffered from a perforated bowel as a result of diverticular disease. The fact that he is under 50 and the severity of the first onset of the disease means he is at extremely high risk for future occurrences. While he will ultimately (and most importantly!) be okay, he is going to require surgery to remove a section of his colon. We don’t know the details of what that will entail just yet, but we have an appointment with the surgeon on April 1 to discuss the details and schedule the surgery.

We are in a tough spot right now and having trouble with the expenses that are piling up as a result of all of these issues. Any help at all is greatly appreciated. And please don’t feel obligated or give more than you can.