Veteran,Medical Bills, Household

Hi, I’m Tonya Kittrell, a US Navy veteran who served in Desert Storm/Shield in the first Gulf War in the 1990s. It was a great honor to serve my country, and it led me to a career I’ve worked extremely hard in for more than 20 years. I’m so thankful for all the blessings in my life and know how fortunate I’ve been. For the first time in my life I have to ask for serious help. 2014 has been one of the toughest years of my life. Six months ago I was diagnosed with Trigeminal Neuralgia — a.k.a. suicide disease. I was experiencing severe pain and numbness in my face and ear and originally thought I had an ear or tooth infection. Unfortunately, it’s much worse than that. My options are lifelong medication or brain surgery that doesn’t guarantee a cure. The medication, carbamazepine, causes all kinds of side effects including depression and angry outbursts. I was previously diagnosed with PTSD and depression, so this medication only makes things worse. One day I go to work crying, and the next I’m angry for no reason. I feel like my emotions are completely out of my control. Adjusting to the medication causes severe dizziness, to the point that some days I can’t stand up without falling or vomiting. Because of this I have exhausted my paid time off (PTO) while trying to get the condition under control. My problems got worse on July 6. I was outside with my horse when she stepped on my foot. She turned one direction while I turned another. It cut my foot nearly in half and almost ripped off my toe. It broke so severely that the bone came through the top of my foot. I wasn’t able to have surgery to correct the break and reattach the toe until July 7, almost 24 hours after the accident. There is still a chance that I could lose my toe. I have a section of skin that is not pink, which means that area is not getting blood. All prayers appreciated. Now, I am asking for help because I do not have enough PTO to cover the eight weeks that are required for my foot to heal. In order to keep my medical insurance I will have to pay for it out of pocket. My lack of PTO means that I will not be receiving any paychecks during this time. Add to that my portion of medical expenses, groceries and household expenses, and my husband and I are looking at a great amount of debt in coming months. My husband does work full time. We have been married 21 years and been through so much together. Unfortunately, his paycheck it is not enough to cover my unexpected medical expenses this year. We’re doing everything we can to make ends meet, from selling items out of our home to helping with odd jobs, like computer work that I can do while staying off my foot for eight weeks. Any and all assistance is appreciated. Thank you for taking the time to learn about our situation and consider contributing.