Andys fight for benefits

Hi there my name is Michelle Rennie and I am writing to start a campaign to help my partner Andrea (Andy) out while she is in a long battle with her health and not receiving money rightfully owed by her benefit company. To tell you a little about Andy she is a mother of one boy named Maeson and has successfully ran a retail store for many years. She is usually bright, energetic and enthusiastic about life, but around a year and a half ago the symptoms that she was able to handle daily changed and she began to experience severe pain throughout her body, and/or her limbs would go completely numb. In January she started to present symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis (nodules), MS, etc etc... she has been in for repeated tests, and we are waiting on specialist appointments to give her a correct diagnosis. While being off work Andy was paid her portion of short term disability through the government, but her benefit company for months has said no to paying the long term disability, or that they need more information which our doctor, and patient advocates have provided.  While being off Andy contracted a 'superbug' through a blackberry thorn and had emergency surgery where they had to cut out a portion of her side to remove the resistant strain of MRSA. This left her in the hospital for 3 weeks, and with a wound vacuum for 9 weeks.  This in itself should be enough evidence for her to be off, but now her body has kicked its auto immune response into high gear, and there are days that she can barely walk due to pain, and has been put on an array of medication to try and help with the symptoms until she can get diagnosed properly and receive the benefits she has paid every month for since working. Andy is daily an inspiration to me, her outlook and love for her family keeps me going, and to remember what we are fighting for: her to be treated fairly and regain her health. Andy is not a complainer and is a pretty private person, but we are at our whits end with appeals and need help to make sure she can see the best specialists and be able to afford whatever other options are available (i.e. nutritional support, chiropractor, physio etc.. and transportation to and from those places.) Andy has lost both of her parents to Cancer and has MS throughout her family as well. I currently work two jobs but cannot afford everything. I would love to say that we could easily fight this alone but any help would be so deeply appreciated. I will leave you with this, on days that Andy can barely get around, migraines to the point of her feeling like her head is going to 'blow off', and limbs that are numb, and painful, she goes to her fathers property (Glenn Sawden who has passed) and picks apples when she can for the local homeless shelter so they can have apple sauce through the winter. It is hard for her to swallow her pride and accept help as she is so used to doing everything herself, but we are at the tipping point and I know we will make it through this, but we need help. Anything you can donate is deeply appreciated and will undoubtedly be paid forward in the future when we are in a place to give back more than just our time.




Sending love and health to you and your families




Michelle and Andy