Support Jessica's Journey Through Hardship

Hi, my name is Jessica. Some of you know me because we are friends or have become family. Some of you may not because someone who cares about me has shared this with you in hopes you can help me. Whoever you are, thank you for taking the time to read this.

I've been recommended by a few friends to start a GoFundMe to share what's going on and so that people could donate to help financially. I basically was raised and grew up in a household as an only child and taught to take care of myself so... asking for help is... difficult. But this is beyond my means and capability. So here I am, offering myself to the mercy and kindness of loved ones and strangers.

My story of need actually starts with one of my roommates, who is also one of my longest-running best friends. He lost his job about 1 1/2-2 months ago. At the time, I was employed as a full-time live-in home caregiver for an elderly lady. I've been a caregiver for about 5 years, and it is the most rewarding, fulfilling job I've ever known. I worked 7 days on and 7 days off. I had a little bit of a financial cushion saved, but when he lost his job, all of that went to cover his part of the household bills and also his individual expenses (meds, etc.).

He did finally get hired on at MAU to start with GE, but there was some... miscommunication with his actual start date and first pay date. Basically, they started on 4/22 instead of 4/14, and instead of paying him his first check on 4/25, his first check will be on 5/2.

On 4/1, after covering a day for one of the part-time caregivers, I left my caregiver lady's house. Though she had been dealing with a medical issue and the resulting side effects since November, she seemed better that morning. The next day, Wednesday, myself and the 2 part-time caregivers got a text in the group chat from her daughter letting us know she had to take her back to the hospital because she was feeling poorly again. This would be her third visit in 3 weeks.

Unfortunately, this time she wouldn't leave the hospital. Each morning text update to the caregivers' group chat came with bad news and decline, then a sudden rapid decline. She passed away on Sunday, April 6th.

To say that her rapid and sudden decline and subsequent passing in the hospital was a shock to everyone, family and caregivers alike, would be an understatement. I, myself, was and still am heart-shattered. I had been with her for 3 1/2 years. I had adopted her as my honorary grandma (my other grandparents long passed away). Her family had become family to me and me to them. Her viewing and service was that next weekend, and for that week leading up to it and the week after, I was swallowed up in a black hole of grief. For those of you that know me, you probably saw a drastic difference in my social media/online presence and postings during that time.

After the two weeks, even though still heartbroken, I knew I had to do something about employment and income. Bills don't stop coming in just because tragedy hits you.

I filed for SNAP and was approved on April 15 for a little over $100. However, as I'm sure many of you know, that doesn't necessarily go far these days. My next SNAP payment is not until May 19th.

I also filed for unemployment. Anyone that has also applied for unemployment knows what a sea of red tape that can be, so I am swimming through that one step they send me at a time.

I also started looking for work again. Feeling too emotionally unready to take on another caregiver client so soon, I have opted for applying for several Hospital Patient Observer jobs. They seem to be of urgent need and short-staffed, but every day I check my applications, and every day it still says in process (as well as scan for new postings).

On April 20th, I went down to Atlanta to see a friend for some grief therapy. The next afternoon, I was on my way back to Greenville on 85N when the accident in the cover picture happened. I know the picture shows front-end damage... TO BE CLEAR: I was NOT AT FAULT. Even the trooper said he wasn't citing me for the incident. Essentially, the person in front of me all of a sudden was at a dead stop because the person in front of them stopped short completely for reasons I don't know. The guy I hit even told me and the troopers that he hit his brakes so hard he "nosed down" his truck and was certain he was going to hit the person in front of him. He didn't, but I couldn't avoid impacting with him. There was nowhere for me to go, even being in the middle lane, as there was traffic all around us. I hit his vehicle, the seatbelt locked me in place, and the force of the impact knocked my car back off his truck a couple of feet and deployed my steering wheel airbag and the front side driver and passenger airbag. I sustained a small chemical burn on my right hand from the airbag, bruises all over, banged up, sore, swelling in my knees and wrists. I am also pretty sure that I sprained my wrists, as even now, several days later, when I go to push off something with my hands, my wrists are tender and sore. It is still very tender to get around on my wrists, knees, and ankles.

As for my car, with the airbags deployed, it is considered in a totaled category. At the time of the incident, the troopers called a tow service, Willards, out of Buford, GA, to tow the car to their yard. The tow guy took me up to the next exit and dropped me off somewhere safe I could wait on my friend from Atlanta to come up and get me, as he was an hour closer than my roommates.

Wednesday, the 23rd, two days after the accident, I heard from the claim agent. The phone call was essentially no good news. I was under the impression that when I purchased my auto insurance, it covered myself and my vehicle. That is the reason you purchase auto insurance, after all. The claim agent stated that even without being cited in the accident because I hit the guy in the back, we were taking fault in the accident. Which sounds crazy to me. The trooper didn't cite me, but my insurance is going to? And to add more bad news, my "standard" insurance covers everyone else I am involved in an accident with, but not myself or my vehicle. To cover myself and/or my vehicle, I would have had to purchase separate additional insurance. So the claims agent couldn't handle anything for me, but at least was able to tell me what next steps to take.

To top it off, this is the first time I have had a car that has a lienholder that has been in an accident and essentially deemed totaled. So, I called my lienholder, and thank goodness I have gap insurance, but that does NOT cover the full balance of the remaining lien. (Again, isn't that the point of having the insurance??) So, I have a claim opened with my gap insurance and waiting on one last form from the lienholder to submit before gap insurance can do anything.

In the meantime, I am just trying to keep from drowning while treading water with weights on.

Our 3-person household that is our own little nuclear family is now down to 1 car. Jon cannot be late or miss a day, especially until he gets hired on by GE (ideally never, but definitely not until then). I've been scouring the internet for work-from-home jobs to not put more strain on the car situation and also applying for every patient observer job I can find. And also using apps like Just Play to earn $20 every 3-4 days. But that is basically just helping towards some gas or some groceries.

If you have made it this far in my story, I apologize it is so long, but thank you very much for still being here. GoFundMe suggested I set my starting goal at $10,000, and that would be right about what I would make for 3 months if I was still with my last caregiver job.

Here is what my pressing financial needs are at the moment (and honestly, I fear they are going to total more than that starting goal):

Flex payment from April rent: $687.20

Flex payment for May rent: $684.28

Progressive insurance: $95

Storage building: $260 (once I can get back in there, I have a bunch of things I can sell like a piano and vinyls and some other things)

Power: $105

April car payment: $407.27

Progressive tow (from tow yard to apt): $300

Willard tow and storage: $530 on 4/28 goes up $25 every day it is there.

Car loan payoff: $? unsure until I know what gap is going to do

Money towards a used vehicle for me (preferably one I can pay in full): $? Looking for something that runs good that I don't have to immediately repair, with not too much mileage already on it and decent gas mileage. NOT NEW, not too old.

Anything that anybody can do I would be eternally grateful. However much or how little. And please share this as well to others who may be able to help? I thank you for spending your time with me and reading and listening to my troubling and hardships circumstance. I know that we can all relate, knowing that one set of unfortunate events could put us in the same situation. Much love to you all.