Firstly, I’d like to thank you for clicking the link that brought you here, and for sharing it when you are done reading, whether you donate or not. Thank you for taking the time out of your day to read my story and give it your consideration.

A couple days before the fourth of July, I had an MRI to find out why I have been having headaches and getting blind spots in my vision for the previous 2 months or so. Before I left the office, they called my neuro-ophthalmologist with the results. She instructed them to tell me to go directly to the ER. The MRI showed that I had had a stroke within the last 48 hours. I was in the hospital for 3 days and was given a tests to find the cause. Everything has come back clear. We still have no idea why the stroke happened. I am very lucky in that I have had little to no physical effects from the stroke. I will be able to return to work in a rather short period of time.

I left the hospital with no answers and orders to see my primary care doctor and follow up with the neurologist and the neuro-ophthalmologist. I was also to have an echocardiogram ordered by my doctor.

Now that my appointments are all set up and I’ve had time to think about my situation I’ve started thinking about the financial side of this. Thankfully, I have good insurance through work. I am lucky in that respect. Unfortunately, all the testing and the hospital stay is still leaving me with several thousands of dollars in medical bills that I cannot afford. I am having to make sure I schedule my appointments correctly so that I can afford to pay the co-pays. I have no savings, as I am the only earner in my family, and have a partner who is unable to work due to his own health issues. We are truly a paycheck to paycheck family.

Now to the part I hate. I am terrible at asking for help, especially financial help. I feel that as a 44 year old, I should be able to take care of everything myself but in this situation I have to admit that I can’t. So I am asking….if you are able to, please help however you can.

Again, whether you donate or not, I thank you for taking the time to read this and sharing it.