Before I became disabled and an amputee, I was teaching people of all ages, primarily children, how to swim and love the water. Now I can't even submerge my foot in water and don't know when I will be able to swim or teach again.

I am posting this out of desperation because I need help, and so far I've been unable to find any help. I don't like asking for help but I know I need help to live. I'm not ready to die. I promise I'm not exaggerating. I'm struggling to survive. I've been trying to find a job that will work around my medical needs, but no one wants to hire a disabled woman who has so many doctors appointments, upcoming surgeries, and several ongoing medical procedures while I'm trying to heal. I can't even afford a clean decent place to live so my ESA cat, Sammy, and I live in our car that keeps breaking down. I have tried every church and every community action group/charity I can find in my county, but I either get told there aren't enough resources to help, or that they are only helping families (Sammy and I don't count as a family to them). I even almost lost Sammy, who is my only real family, but thankfully I've found a woman who will watch him whenever I have to do something medical so he is safe, and still gets returned to me.

I am dealing with the following medical conditions:

Type 2 diabetes (controlled)

Venous insufficiency (requires surgery on the veins in both of my legs)

Edema, possibly lymphedema

Mild heart murmur

High blood pressure

Anemia (iron supplements aren't helping and now I might need to start getting iron transfusions)

Amputee, left foot

Hypertriglyceridemia

Dyslipidemia

Myopia/nearsightedness

Charcot foot

Median nerve damage

Irregular heavy menstrual cycles

Post op blood clots found in lungs & left leg (Oct 29 2025), required emergency surgery for bilateral pulmonary embolism

Despite having my diabetes under control, I have dealt with several issues that typically only someone with uncontrolled diabetes deals with. Over the past 13 months I've spent 110 of those days in the hospital. I have 15 different kinds of doctors, and I've had to fire 2 doctors since January because I wasn't getting better under their guidance and I need to fight for myself. I have had 6 surgeries during the last 13 months, nearly dying twice, and losing half of my left foot. On October 29, 2025, I had emergency surgery for multiple blood clots in both of my lungs from complications from my 5th surgery on my left foot. I still need a minimum of 2 more surgeries. I'm on 24 different prescribed medications, with 3 needing constant refrigeration, and several other recommended supplements. I possibly will also need surgery on my hands for the median nerve damage, and I recently found out from my ophthalmologist, during my annual diabetic eye exam, that I need more tests to determine if there is swelling in my eyes that would require a procedure or surgery. I am willing to provide you copies of my medical records and pictures to show you I'm telling the truth about everything. I'm not ready to die, and I'm definitely not ready to give up. I'm trying to raise the money needed to get a camper conversion van to function as a home on wheels, and as a reliable vehicle. Overall this would make my expenses less expensive, but up front I just can't manage it financially. Instead of figuring out a car payment and rent, car insurance and renters insurance, I'd only have one of each. Plus I'd have a bed to sleep flat to help with the edema issues. Right now I can't elevate my legs so the edema keeps creating new ulcers on my feet, and every time a new ulcer forms, I run the risk of infection and more amputation. Plus I'd have a refrigerator, and a small cook space, for my medications, and for food. If you look on a site like Off Highway Van, you'll see an example of a conversion van that is tall enough to allow you to stand up, while it also fits into a regular parking spot. There are several brands available, so this is just one example for you to visualize what I'm talking about. It's basically like a smaller RV, that would look more like it's just a van to help it not stand out in the same way. As a disabled woman I need something that is also discreet for my safety. Along with trying churches, community action groups/charities, I've also tried a GoFundMe, but I can't seem to get anywhere with it. I apologize if this being long. I just want you to know how hard I have been trying to survive, and that I have been trying to find a way out of this situation. I'm still hoping to find work, but I just don't know when that will happen, especially with so much instability in our country. I don't want to just survive anymore. I want to start thriving! I miss feeling like myself and feeling like I have a life. I'm very unhappy and uncomfortable every day. I can't recover living this way.

Would you help me?

The estimate for this fundraiser would cover the cost of the camper conversion van, get a solar panel installed for the fridge and AC, a year of insurance, any taxes and licensing needed to purchase the vehicle, and any materials needed for the vehicle since I've lost nearly all of my possessions. The goal is to raise at least enough to cover a large down payment to make monthly payments no more than what I pay for my car now, plus any taxes, and any items I'd need immediately to live in it. I estimate overall, to pay for it all in full would be $150,000-$250,000. I have this fundraiser set up on the automated goal option.

Thank you and please share this fundraiser on your social media pages.