Funeral Travel and Living Expenses

My name is Krista Bowers, and I am raising funds to get me to my niece's funeral and to catch up on Living expenses before I go

Recently, my young niece (my sister's only child) was tragically killed in a horrific car crash in Kentucky (https://www.legacy.com/us/obituaries/fbnewsleader/name/colleen-hosmer-obituary?id=52653697). Her memorial service is in 2 weeks, on October 7, and I do not have the money to get there from my home in Salt Lake City, UT. These last two years have been unbelievably challenging and have left me with a reduced capacity to work and depleted resources.

I had already been suffering from CRPS (Complex Regional Pain Syndrome), a rare, incurable neuro autoinflammatory disorder that on its worst days is excruciatingly painful and on best days slightly less so. Added to that, after contracting COVID-19, I have been diagnosed with Long Covid, which has been extremely difficult to navigate physically and mentally. Barely scraping by financially, I received a no-reason notice to vacate the apartment where I had lived for 12 years. Since it was not an eviction ( I was current on my rent) I could not fight it. Soon after receiving the notice, my appendix gangrened and was hemorrhaging, so I had to have an emergency appendectomy. After the surgery, I was instructed not to do any lifting for at least 4 weeks, which left me with very little time to pack, move, and find another place that I could afford.

So I had no choice but to move my belongings to storage and live in my car. Pretty much all of the money I had went into these expenses, so I did not have the funds necessary to pay for a new apartment. I was finally able to find a new place, with a landlord who was kind enough to let me move in without initial payment so that I was not sleeping in my car during the brutal Utah winter. I have been trying to catch up financially ever since. He had been patient with me, but his patience is understandably a bit thin right now.

Just when I thought I might be able to move forward, this past July I ended up with a particularly nasty bout of Pneumonia, coupled with anemia, after what I suspected was another round of Covid. I had to be transported to the hospital by ambulance (an astronomically high expense I am now facing). I seriously felt like I was going to die, which was pretty terrifying. Soon after being released from the hospital, I received the call telling me of my niece's death.

My grief has been overwhelming, and I have not been handling it well. I have carried an inordinate amount of stress and have barely been sleeping, which has significantly hindered the recovery from my illness. I am emotionally and physically exhausted. Unfortunately, this has all caused a worsening of the CRPS, and I have been having to cope with the accompanying pain of the flaring.

My prescribed pain medication is not covered by my insurance, so I am just having to get by without it.

To add to all of this, my car registration and insurance renewals, along with the required

emissions check, are due within the week. I am also facing the expense of what might be a pricey car repair.

As I have been most;y unable to work, and with everything piling up as it is financially, my state of mind is pretty grim right now. To say I am overwhelmed doesn't even begin to touch it.

To top it all off, I cannot afford to travel to my niece's memorial service, which is devastating for me and my sister. I cannot imagine not being there to support her as my niece is honored and mourned. And I cannot exacerbate my dire financial straits by leaving all of this hanging over my head.

I need to urgently raise the funds to first catch up on everything here and then provide what I need to cover travel expenses to Kentucky, including transportation (airfare or driving), lodging, and food while there. If I can get my car fixed and the registration renewed in time, I will drive it. If not, I will either get a rental car or fly. I just know that I have to be there with my family in this time of staggering grief.

I am exceedingly grateful for any help that you are able to offer. I know not everyone is in a position to help financially (I, of all people, totally get that). Posting to your Social Media and Lists would be great, too.

Thank you from the bottom of my heart!

Krista