Hey everyone. My name is Don Fenn. I am a gig worker (Doordash, Uber Eats, Grubhub, Shipt, etc.) and a content creator on YouTube who lives in North Carolina. For the past year, I have been doing everything I can to get my life and finances back in order. While it has been a struggle up to this point, I have been doing what I have to in order to make it each month.

Unfortunately, that changed in the last week of May. On a delivery when I was leaving a restaurant, I slipped off a curb due to a misstep and weak ankles. Being who I am, I tried to save the customer's order from being ruined which put my own body at risk. While the order was saved, it resulted in me landing on the ground with most of the impact landing on my right shoulder. I then proceeded to deliver the order to the customer.

While my shoulder was in pain, I thought I could make it through the night to finish my shift, but as the night progressed, the pain got worse, and I noticed I couldn't lift my arm up without a lot of pain. I still toughed it out, but in the morning, I went to the ER. They looked me over and took X-rays of my shoulder. The results came back showing nothing was broken or dislocated. They said they could do no more for me telling me to take some OTC pain killers and get some rest.

I followed those orders the best I could. I took pain killers, tried not to use my right arm, and even got a brace for my shoulder. I still had to work though because I really couldn't afford to stay home. At the moment, I owe too much money to be able to take time off of work. For a while, it seemed like it might be getting better. While it was still in pain and extremely stiff, it was all manageable, so I thought.

It wasn't too long before I started realizing it may be worse than I thought. Because of my weak ankles, I have to be careful when stepping off curbs and walking up and down steps. One misstep and my ankle twists causing me to collapse to the ground. The next time that happened I didn't fall but it did cause me to react and try to catch myself before I fell. The sudden movement in my right arm caused a severe sharp pain to shoot down my arm. The pain was so intense that it made me crumple on to the ground in tears. It felt like when you hit your "funny bone" on a table, but the pain was 20x worse and shot through my whole arm.

I went back to the ER, and they checked it out again taking more X-rays. Once again, I was told that nothing was broken or dislocated. They told me to take some pain killers and get some rest. A little frustrated that no further tests were done to find out what was going on. I still went home and tried to cope. Unfortunately, the pain was starting to get worse. At the time, it was still manageable, but every time I jumped trying to catch myself or even just light tap my elbow on something, I would get that same sharp pain causing me to crumple down to the ground in agony.

For the next few weeks, I tried to maintain, but as mentioned earlier, the pain was getting progressively worse. OTC pain killers were not doing anything for me. I also had to visit the ER several more times when the pain was becoming unbearable so they could prescribe something stronger. I had been given different kinds of pain relievers, a steroid for my shoulder, and muscle relaxers. Nothing was working though, and sadly, I had to work still while in pain because, like I said, I really could not afford to take any time off. Due to this injury, I was already falling behind on very important bills.

Then, about a week and a half ago, the pain hit an all-time high. It became completely unbearable. The pain was so intense that I couldn't focus on anything else. I couldn't sleep. I had no appetite. I was slowly deteriorating away. I felt like giving up. I didn't leave the house, I didn't even leave the couch. I was in severely bad shape and depressed feeling like there was nothing I could do. To make matters worse, I began feeling really dizzy, nauseous, and weak. It was a desperate struggle to just feed myself or go to the bathroom. I honestly felt like I was going to die if I didn't get some kind of help.

With no one around that I thought could help me and no immediate family in the area, I made one last ditch effort to drag myself once again back to the ER and pleaded with them to help me. I could not take the pain any longer. I couldn't sleep, I couldn't eat, and I felt like I was slipping away. I was terrified. Unfortunately, the ER told me there was nothing they could do. They said couldn't even give me an MRI which is what is really required to find out what is going on in my shoulder. Instead, they gave me fluids and a prescription for more pain killers and sent me home.

At this point on July 27, I was at my wits' end. The pain was too much, and I was completely broken. I couldn't take it anymore, and I truthfully thought I was going to die. With no sleep in two days, I could no longer function to even take care of myself. I thought I would slip away at some point and not wake back up. Terrified, I dragged myself to the computer to get on Facebook to go live. I don't know what exactly I wanted to accomplish by going live whether it was a plea for help or to just let someone know that I thought I may be dead soon. I'll admit I broke down on camera. It was all too much for me between the pain, my mental state, and the overwhelming emotions I felt.

After I got off camera, I was contacted by many friends who were worried about me. They tried to console me and let me know I'm not alone. They'll never know what that truly meant to me. It gave me a little more fight. As a result, I went back to the ER one more time. I needed something to temporarily ease the pain so I could focus on finding a way to get treatment for my shoulder. Finally, they gave me something that seemed to work. It helps me focus and manage the pain.

Unfortunately, this is a temporary bandaid for something that will not go away without some kind of medical attention. That is why I started this Gofundme page. I need to see an orthopedic doctor to find out the extent of what is going on in my shoulder. If I don't, I will not be able to continue working to earn a living. As I've already experienced, the pain is too intense to handle without help, and I'm afraid my injury will not heal without a professional overseeing the care. And I am terrified of what my future will be without help. I fear that my health will continue to deteriorate especially if I lose the ability to take care of myself financially, and that is what I want to return to.

In my current situation, I have no insurance and no way to pay for a doctor to see me. I've tried several methods to acquire financial help with no success. I've even tried going through community health centers and the closest time they can see me is over a month from now which there is no way that I will be able to survive in this condition until then. I did have insurance at one point through the Affordable Care Act, but due to situations in the federal government, my health insurance was stripped from me. So, this is what I am reduced to. I don't want to beg for help, but I have no other choice. I wish things were different, but they aren't, and I know I can't go back to the pain I was feeling before. It'll kill me.

So, I'm trying to raise enough money to go to an orthopedic doctor and get treated for my injuries. The amount I have put down for $1,000 is really just a placeholder because I have no idea what it is going to cost overall. It depends on what needs to be done. I'm 95% certain that they are at least going to have to do an MRI. It may even require surgery, but I don't know for certain. I do know that the initial cost to at least see the doctor is going to be anywhere from $250 to $400. Please, if you can, help me because I can't do this alone. I don't know what else to do. I just want to work and take care of myself. If you can't donate, I hope at the very least you can spread the word. I need all the help that I can get. Thank you for taking the time to read this. Every donation means the absolute world to me. Have a good day!