I never thought I would reach a point where simply standing or using my hands would feel sometimes impossible.
I am a single mom and my son depends entirely on me. I’ve been diagnosed with degenerative bone disease in my neck and lower back. My spine is deteriorating in multiple places—disks are bulging, tearing, pressing on nerves and flattening my spinal cord in my neck. The result is constant pain, weakness, and a frightening loss of mobility in my arms, hands, and legs.
My MRI findings show how serious this has become:
- C5–C6: Disk degeneration with bulging disk and a central protrusion causing spinal cord flattening
- C6–C7: Disk bulge
- L2–L3: Disk degeneration with disk bulge (right side)
- L3–L4: Disk degeneration with disk bulge and a posterior annular tear
- L4–L5: Disk degeneration, narrowing, protrusion, and annular tear
- L5–S1: 7mm disk protrusion pressing against the thecal sac
My doctors urged me back in January to stop working for 4–6 weeks immediately. But I haven’t been able to listen, because if I don’t work, we don’t survive. I’m self-employed in a salon. There’s no sick pay, no safety net. Temporary disability would give me less than $100 a week, which doesn’t even begin to cover rent, utilities, and basic necessities. So I’ve kept going, pushing through pain that is getting worse every day. Now I’m losing hours because my body simply won’t cooperate. Some days I can barely stand. The pain is overwhelming, and my physical limits are getting worse. I’m terrified that if I keep forcing myself to work, I could cause permanent damage and lose my ability to provide for my son altogether.
I am asking for help because I don’t have another option. I need time to stop, to heal, and to prevent this from becoming irreversible.
Your support will help cover:
- Rent, utilities, and basic necessities
- The time I need to rest and recover without further injury
Asking for help like this is incredibly hard. But I am doing it because my son needs me healthy. Right now, I am scared of what happens if I don’t slow down.
If you can donate or even just share this, it would mean more than I can express.
Thank you for reading and for helping us get through this.