Church Needs Knee Surgery

Church is almost 2 years old (03/18/2018). Church is everyone’s cat but she is bonded to my 20 year old son who has ADHD, anxiety and mild autism. On December 3, 2019 Church started growling and hissing and was flopped on her side. She seemed to be walking okay at the time but was obviously not comfortable.  I took Church to the vet the next morning who said he felt like her right knee was swollen and that could be the issue. The plan was to put her on anti inflammatory medicine and hope that she had just a soft tissue injury.
A few days later we switched her to narcotic medication because she was still in pain and was limping. 
On December 19, 2019 I went back to the vet withChurch because she had not improved.  Church was given medication to sedate her and the vet did xrays of her hips and both legs. 
The vet said it looked like the cartilage on both her knees hadn’t closed up and both her left and right knee are popping in and out of the joint. He told us we could do nothing and keep her on pain medication or we could go to an orthopedic surgeon. The surgeon is clearly the most expensive route. The vet actually called the surgeon and explained what was going on and sent over Church’s xrays. Church needs to see the surgeon for an actual plan to be set in place but we just can not afford it. To see the orthopedic surgeon is going to hundreds of dollars to start and surgery on just one leg could be 3-4000 dollars. 
We have kept her on pain medication and hoped she would adjust like the vet said she would and in some ways she has but she walks different, she doesn’t jump anymore and she is in general just a different cat. She used to be so full of life. I used to joke and say she was the reason my house was so clean, she was always jumping on counters and knocking things off. She loves to explore and sniff and get into trouble. Last night she just laid on the living roomfloor and wouldn’t move. She never used to just sit still. My son said he wishes she was her old self again.  
I am asking for help which is very hard to me to do. I am a single mom not making a ton of money. My son is 20 and in college at home full time. My daughter is 18 and in high school. There just isn’t a way for us to help her without getting help. 
I can provide xrays, vet receipts for what we have done so far and what we will hopefully be able to do next. If we are able to see the orthopedic surgeon we will adjust the total if it is less, we are going off the estimate of our vet. If you can’t financially help we would appreciate prayers. 
Thank You!