Help for Mettie

Asking for money is never something I’ve wanted to do, but sometimes we need to do difficult things for the right reasons.

As a lot of you know, my mom has lived with a disability for most of my life. She has a rare brain disease, Moya Moya, which has caused her to have multiple major strokes and seizures, beginning when I was 5 or 6. Over the last 12 or so years, her condition has only been growing increasingly worse. She is currently unable to walk, has extremely limited mobility on her left side, and is unable to live without the help of her full-time caregiver, Rosa.

The woman who is currently caring for my mom has shown a level of commitment and dedication unsurpassed by most people I know. Despite often needing to wait several weeks to receive a check, she has always done everything she can to help my mom, including buying her food and groceries, even when it means having less for her own family. As for myself, while I am endlessly grateful to be employed full time as a teacher (Go Pumas), my salary is not enough to support two people, especially when one needs the care that she does.

My mom’s government support gives her around $700 a month, which can cover most of her bills, excluding housing and in-home support. While she owns the mobile home she is currently residing in, the space rent has been steadily going up over the last several years, and is now beyond what she can afford. Over the last few years her mother, Jean, has covered those expenses. It appears now that Jean will be unable to contribute to those expenses, due to her own declining medical condition. We are now left in need of a solution. Currently, my mom is facing eviction from her home, and we have about 90 days to find something to do.

What I’m looking for now is money, which is needed to assist my mom and Rosa in this transitional period. Rosa has offered to take my mom into her and her family’s home, but because they are presently living in a two-bedroom apartment, this means moving Rosa’s family and possibly paying for their broken lease. After this is done, we will be able to sell the mobile home my mom owns to continue to pay for Rosa’s support.

I have never known my mother as the person she once was, and the traditional feelings and emotions that one typically has in a mother-daughter relationship will forever be foreign to me. Most of you know my childhood and life story to be difficult at best. Despite this, I am choosing to not give up on this situation. I can’t. Although the American façade of a social safety net is ever present before my eyes, I am counting on the positive interactions and relationships I have in my life to attempt to get through this. The truly incredible friends that I’ve made over the years have supported me through everything I’ve been through thus far, so it seems like a natural solution to ask for support once again.

So if you’re able to donate, please feel free. If all you can do is pass the word on, please do so. Any and all resources, be them financial, or simply names and numbers of organizations that can help with these situations are greatly appreciated. You will forever have my love and respect (which, frankly, you likely already have) and I will certainly make every effort I can to support you in the future.