Aid a Resilient Life: Overcoming Debt and Disease

I am a chronically ill patient, dis/abled since 2006, who suffers from 6 incurable diseases: four autoimmune and two rare lung diseases, as well as serious secondary conditions. I am totally without family since my parents passed in the last few years—both close to a century old. My father fought in WWII and was indeed in the first Allied landing on continental Europe: Salerno, Italy. He fought through Italy, France, and Germany, and re-enlisted in Japan. My mother worked for the US government from the Peace Corps to the Diplomatic Corps. I was raised around the world and lived for 15 years in Paris, where I attended and taught grad school. Due to my mother's lengthy illness, all money went to pay her nursing home bill, and I have no inheritance.

I was stricken with a catastrophic case of Multiple Sclerosis (MS), which presented in tumor form requiring a biopsy in 2006, that immobilized the right side of my spine and my body. It took me ten years to learn to walk again, but willpower prevailed with Physical Therapy. I am ambulatory and drive the used Honda Civic (2010) my mother gave me in 2015. I also have an autoimmune (non-alcoholic) liver disease for 35 years: Primary Biliary Cirrhosis (PBC). I am currently in my 5th year of cirrhosis and have two elevated cancer/tumor markers. One biopsy came back benign, but doctors are still searching.

My two pulmonary diseases have created more and more difficulties. I spent the holidays in the hospital on oxygen and several meds, and another 8 hours in an ER a few days ago so I could breathe without gasping. Chronic exhaustion is a serious daily issue.

Transplant for lungs or liver is not possible due to multiple comorbidity factors. I would not want a transplant even though I am not that old; I made peace with this earth many years ago. I would hope another patient with a greater chance of survival would receive lungs and a liver that might have gone to me. I lived a full and interesting life; I did all that was required of me medically. My learning to walk again was written up in a medical journal.

Rather than continuing a boring medical recitation, I will state the following. Although I have many subsidies to help with food, rent, and prescriptions, and I am capable of living on Social Security, my mother often helped me with small amounts to make ends meet. Since her passing in late 2022 and the increase in my medi-gap health insurance, I have accumulated debts on my credit card (only one) that include gas, car insurance, groceries, OTCs ("Over The Counter" Medications), cleaning items, etc. I buy nothing for myself.

I have worked hard to manage my monthly finances and succeeded. If I pay off my credit card debt (and the monthly payment which I always make), I will be able to continue without further need of monetary assistance. However, I must pay off the debt to make this possible. For this, I humbly ask your help. I apologize for requesting help, but there is no one and nothing left in my life.

My mother and I always gave humble donations to animal welfare, veterans' groups, Southern Poverty Law Center, Oxfam, Red Cross, MS Society, etc. I volunteered from 2012-2016 with MS patients preparing their cases for lawyers; in homeless shelters organizing clothes and daily showers; with Slow Food advocating for Native North American fruits (black raspberries, native persimmons, and fragaria virginiana, the common North American strawberry, all in abundance where I was born in the Midwest).

I would so appreciate any donation to help me lift the weight of debt from my very weary shoulders. Thank you and many blessings.

(The picture is my Beloved Jesse, 1998-2015)