Help Jorja: Mobility Aids, Medical Needs & Vet Bills

Hi, my name is Jorja and I’m 21 years old. Being brutally honest, asking for financial help is the last thing I ever wanted to do, but I’ve reached a point where I simply can’t continue this fight alone.

I live with a number of debilitating chronic and mental health conditions, including Hypermobile Ehlers Danlos Syndrome, Complex PTSD, Autism (with suspected ADHD), Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome (POTS), and more. These conditions affect every part of my daily life, from mobility, to mental wellbeing, and to basic survival.

I live at home with my mum who is also my full-time carer, and our four beloved pets consisting of two dogs and two cats, who have been our emotional anchors through years of trauma and health challenges.

Why I’m Fundraising

Over the near last decade, I’ve faced:

- Fleeing domestic abuse, plus a plethora of other major life traumas

- Years of delayed/denied diagnoses and medical care, resulting in mass medical negligence

- Illegally being removed from school due to my health decline before taking my GCSEs, robbing me of further educational and career opportunities

- Living in conditions that are unsafe and inaccessible for my needs

- Being unable to work or re-enter education due to my health, despite applying for countless courses and jobs

Regardless of these challenges, I began saving at the beginning of this year to improve my living environment and fund essential mobility aids. My current personal living space has become close to uninhabitable, after experiencing extreme autistic burnout, to the point I have a moth infestation which is nearly three years old. I’ve been unable to tackle this alone and don’t have a village of support to rely on, but am currently waiting for support from a charity. At one point I had managed to save £1,200 by cutting back on every possible expense, even things I needed for my health.

But our lives were turned upside down once again in June when our beloved cat, Gizmo, was diagnosed with advanced cancer, and our dog, Pip, required emergency treatment for a severe tooth infection. All in the same month. I’ve already spent over £1000 on vet bills such as scans and treatments, transport, dietary changes and the euthanasia of Gizmo, and our total additional costs are climbing well past an expected £1,200.

Not only that, but since first writing this, things have worsened. We’ve now discovered that Pixie, another one of our cats, urgently needs medical attention due to a sudden and worrying change in her bowel movements. It’s truly been one thing after another.

This has meant what was once my savings, which was due to go towards needed mobility aids, basic furnishings, and most importantly making my space liveable, are gone. I’m incredibly overwhelmed and slowly deteriorating both mentally and physically.

What the Funds Will Cover

- Replacement of what has been lost

- Remaining vet bills for Pixie and Pip

- Mobility aids and medical equipment unable to be covered by my benefits

- Basic home modifications to make my personal space accessible and safe

- Essential furnishings to replace those damaged

The pets will be seen to first as they will always be our top priority. Any remainder, which is unexpected, will be saved towards future emergencies. I will be completely transparent with where the funds go.

Why This Matters So Much

We are not a family with a financial safety net. My mum has been an unpaid carer on and off for over a decade and my benefits are stretched as far as they can go. She’s been my carer personally for 6 years now and unable to access additional paid work the entire time. An attempt to access further support through my benefits (such as mobility aids) would only make our situation even more unmanageable financially.

We’ve honestly done everything possible to survive with dignity, but now we are drowning. I refuse to max out credit cards we simply can’t afford. My mum doesn’t deserve such a thing to hang over her.

People may ask why we have so many pets in the first place, but these animals were with us long before life turned upside down. We did not struggle financially back then and we couldn’t have predicted the future. These pets have been my greatest support seeing me through trauma, isolation, and moments where nothing else kept me going. Their love collectively has kept me fighting and I can’t imagine where I’d be today without them.

Please Help if You Can

I’m asking for enough to recover what I’ve already lost, cover the new upcoming urgent vet costs, and access the mobility aids and support I need to regain even a fraction of independence. If you’ve read this far, thank you from the bottom of my heart, just being seen and heard in this moment means more than I can express.

With love,

Jorja, Mum, and our 4 gorgeous fur babies.