Chelsi Louise Car Recovery Fund

(Pictured left, my previous car - totaled; Pictured right, my current car now held captive at the dealership)

On my way to work in August 2021, my car broke down as I was getting onto the Casey Highway. I was able to safely pull onto the shoulder of the road. As I was sitting in my car with my flashers on, figuring out what to do, another driver slammed into the back of my car at an estimated 55mph.

My car was totaled. I hit my head on the steering wheel and needed stitches above my eye. I later realized I had two more bruises on the top of my head, which meant I managed to hit my head in three different places. I was left with a pretty severe concussion, bruises on my knuckles/knees/arm/head, whiplash, and post-traumatic stress. Thankfully, I was able to walk out of the hospital the same day. However, I had no idea the domino effect that would ensue for the next two years...

I have done everything I can to avoid asking for financial assistance. I'm faced with a major expense for which I haven't been able to obtain funds and that greatly affects my daily living. My car was just repaired - the final bill is $3400. These are repairs that I could not manage to save for and still pay my bills (I tried. And I live with two other people, so I cannot let bills go). My car was unsafe to drive - I had to take it in. And this doesn't include another $1000 of work I'm putting on the back burner or potential vet bills coming down the pipeline (I currently have two cats facing ongoing health issues). I've already had a loaner car for a week on Monday. They are graciously working with me, but I'm not sure how long this can reasonably go on. Once they demand it back, I will again be without transportation and have no way to work (or pay bills). This could be detrimental to obtaining a new job as well - there is no public transportation feasible to where I would need to go when I start this job.

Before I get into the entire back story (unfortunately necessary for many to understand how I got here), this is what I HAVE done to aid my situation:

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...Following the accident, I was unable to work for some time and went back sooner than I should have due to the pressure to pay bills and not realizing I may have had other options (hindsight is 20/20). For months, I had difficulty speaking, communicating, using my hands, focusing, balancing, regulating my heart rate, and even staying awake. I would wake up in severe pain because no position was truly comfortable. I couldn't do things like wash my hair or take care of my home because I couldn't hold my arms above my head or do anything requiring a "push" motion. Once I was better able to complete those tasks, it was painful and required many breaks - this went on for more months. I completed just shy of 1 year of physical therapy (upwards of 2 hours 3x a week) and was only discharged because I maxed out my number of appointments through my insurance. And if it wasn't for the angels treating me, I know I wouldn't be as recovered as I am today. They truly advocated for me and went above and beyond in their PT practice.

I was seen by a neurologist until April of this year. I'm still adjusting to my "new normal", but I have come a long way in recovering. Most of my symptoms are invisible much of the time (which isn't necessarily a good thing because it's easy to think nothing is wrong or have difficulty understanding what is - post-concussion experiences are typically extremely isolating). I still receive additional treatment from a chiropractor.

Symptoms I currently experience include:

I put off asking for financial assistance for as long as I could. I thought if I keep on keeping on I can manage to dig myself out of the hole before I get buried. It was a matter of weeks after the accident that my emergency fund was used up and all my credit cards were maxed out. I could just keep up with bills, minimums due, and emergency vet visits (when it rains it pours). I'm lucky my mom has been a huge help. She's driven me around and let me borrow her car and helped me with the unexpected vet bills). I've been able to skate by for a while, working enough as an independent contractor to pay necessary bills without being super detrimental to my health and recovery... although that boundary was pushed at times when things got tough in the Winter months. Somehow I had managed to keep the lights on and myself out of collections. I did the best that I could with the parts of my brain that weren't busy "reconnecting the dots" as I like to say and learned to give myself a lot of grace.

I picked up more work as I was able to. Then came more vet bills and new car expenses. Slowly, but surely, I got to the point I am now. I have applied for every personal loan I could find (my credit is relatively shot at this point). I cannot rent a car simply because I do not have any credit card. I borrowed my mom's car while my car went to the shop and then her car broke down - leaving me off from work for over a week now as I couldn't work without a car. The dealership had a loaner car come in, which is what I'm currently using. I was expecting the payment plan to give me at least half of the expense, figuring I could manage to come up with the other half in a reasonable enough time that I could continue to use the loaner, so I was shocked and stressed to receive only $400 of the $3400.

I am responsible for paying bills in a house with two other people, so I cannot let the bills go. If it was just me, I'd let things get turned off and figure it out later so I wouldn't have to reach out for help. So many of us are struggling right now, it doesn't feel good to have to ask this. I don't know what else to do... If you read the whole thing, you're amazing. I tried to condense my story as much as possible.

Lastly, if anyone has experienced something similar - you are not alone. My door is open.

With utmost gratitude,

Chelsi <3