Hey everyone! Fair warning, this might be a little long, so I appreciate anyone taking the time to read it through. I’m honestly a little embarrassed to do this. I don’t like putting my personal business out there, but I figured it couldn’t hurt. Times are tough right now. I know they are for a lot of people. I’ve been out of work these past few months due to my health issues. For those of you that don’t know, I have a genetic connective tissue disorder called Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome—I was diagnosed at 10 years old. My connective tissues are faulty, and my body does not produce enough collagen. Your connective tissues are like the “glue” that holds your body together. In my case, it causes severe joint hypermobility amongst a plethora of other issues. It affects all my joints, my skin, my blood vessels, my heart, and my gut. I have developed pretty bad TMJ dysfunction, which causes my jaw to partially and sometimes completely dislocate. Things like yawning too big will cause it to pop out of place. Because of this, I have daily chronic migraines and have been dealing with this daily pain for the past 10 years. Throughout it all, I still have been working, but it’s getting increasingly more difficult the older I get. I’ve had 5 knee surgeries to help correct my hypermobility and will eventually need more surgeries to correct other joints as well. Due to the chronic pain I am constantly in, it’s made it extremely difficult to work like I have been. I am exploring the possibility of applying for disability as I do have a qualifying condition.

We were told at the beginning of April that the property owner of the house we are renting will be selling the home. Our move-out date is July 31st. We are having an incredibly difficult time finding a place within our budget, and with me being out of work, we’ve almost exhausted all of our savings. I’ve created a GoFundMe to help with moving expenses and obtaining a security deposit and first month’s rent. My husband does work full-time and has been my rock throughout everything. He has started a great career, and he’s trying his best to work his way up. Anything helps. And I completely understand if you’re unable to. I know everyone has their own things going on, and you gotta take care of yourself first. I also have Venmo and PayPal if you would prefer to donate directly—just send me a message, and I’ll give you the info. Thank you so much for taking the time to listen to our story.