Amber and Brooke’s GFM:

Total: $12000

Thank you for looking at our GoFundMe. We are disabled sisters who share an apartment and a car while we help each other. Neither of us can work because of our medical problems so we live on a low, fixed income which is well below the poverty line. The last year has been rough - our apartment flooded in May and we were out of it until August. Insurance covered all of the lodging, but only some of the damaged items. We ended up not getting enough back to replace all of our ruined clothing, shoes, personal items, and even replacing the simplest things like all the food in our water damaged refrigerator was a financial hit. Our insurance company didn’t cover the full cost of replacing bigger things either like our freezer. Then about seven months ago Amber’s health crashed, with frequent fainting spells, and we’re trying to find out why. In addition to copays with each visit with two new specialists, she has had to go to the emergency room three times for a suspected heart attack. So far we’ve learned she has a PFO (a hole in her heart) as well as some genetic heart issues. She’s gotten very weak, struggles to eat, and do regular daily tasks that we used to take for granted. She really misses walking her dog, Beskar daily. Finding out what exactly is wrong is taking time and money. She is often so ill that she has to stay with our parents for a week or two for what amounts to nursing care.

In addition to Amber’s worsening health , the related expenses, and the flood damage, Amber’s cat, who is a huge help on Amber’s worst pain filled days - had a medical emergency that our local veterinarian advised us they weren’t equipped to handle. They strongly suggested that we take him immediately to the Ohio State University Veterinary Hospital.

On the way there our car broke down on the highway. The car had to be towed into the shop for repairs, while we were stranded on the side of the road with Detective Kittenbinder in his cat carrier. Luckily our mom was able to pick us up and let us borrow a car to get Kittenbinder to the cat hospital, and to use to get us to Amber’s doctor appointments until ours could be fixed. On top of that, Brooke’s phone broke and had to be replaced.

Note from Amber about Kittenbinder (officially Detective Kittenbinder): He came into my life at just the right time. He was a hungry, sweet, but scared little brown tabby kitten half-hidden under a bush. I’d just moved back into my parents home after leaving an abusive marriage. My health was in free fall, and my depression was taking over. The timing was perfect for both of us. We both needed love and care, and he still shows me how much he loves me. He truly takes care of me. On the days that my migraine or chest pain is too high to get out of bed, he sticks right with me, giving me snuggles and emotional support. This little guy is still helping me every single day.

We feel lucky that our parents could help us when we were stranded, and that Kittenbinder got to the emergency vet in time to save him. He had an extremely rough few days and had to stay at OSU for awhile, but they think that he’s on a medication that will keep him healthy for years. And we feel like Amber’s new specialists are on the right track as we keep looking for a diagnosis. While we’re deeply thankful, we could use help financially to get back on track.

Although things have been hard, we have felt supported by our community. Some of you have sent kind words, grocery money, and meals. Thank you so much for your good hearts.

Some of these expenses (like new medications for Amber and Kittenbinder), we were able to pay out of pocket, but for a lot of it we have had to borrow. Any help that you can provide will help us dig out the hole, and take a huge mental load off of both of us.

How will your donation be used?

All of the donated funds will be used to pay off these loans. If there is any left over after that, it will be used to provide monthly medications (since insurance doesn’t cover all of the cost). Here is the breakdown:

Amber’s Emergency Room Co-pays: $725

Car Repairs: $1500

Local Vet: $640

Ohio State Emergency Vet: $6950

Freezer: $1200