Help Leo & Leanne: Battling Health & Bills

Hello,

I'm Leo. My wife and I have had a rough go over the last couple of years. Leanne has been in and out of the hospital too many times to count. Most of it started with her spending over a week in the ICU with COVID-19. During that time, we came close to losing her. Since then, she has struggled daily with the aftereffects and long-term health issues related to long COVID: asthma, narcolepsy, chronic pain, and depression. However, she has never stopped trying to be a great mom to our 4 kids. During this time, I have stepped up, trying to fill those voids where she hasn't been able to, while fighting my own health battles. This last year, however, has hit us hard. Like so many families, we are struggling to pay bills, struggling to keep food on the table, struggling to keep our car running, and our house from falling down around us. We get by and smile through the pain of it all. Over the next few weeks and months, both my wife and I will be preparing for surgeries. My shoulder, injured long ago in Iraq during a roadside bomb attack, is giving out on me. I can no longer deal with the pain on a daily basis. My wife will need surgery to fuse the bones in her foot, which will keep her on bed rest and non-weight bearing for 8 to 10 weeks. Looking at these very real circumstances, I don't know how to keep our heads above water any longer. Any buffer that we can save up between now and our surgery dates will keep us from the very real possibility of losing everything we have worked so hard to keep by the skin of our teeth through it all.

As a veteran, I have applied for other benefits besides my VA compensation. Leanne has applied for Social Security as well. However, these things take time, and time just isn't our friend right now. I have invested in myself and I am working as many odd jobs as I can find to fill the fridge when we can and keep my car from breaking down completely. With our co-pays skyrocketing and medicine costs being out of control, most days I am letting some bills stack up until I can find a way to chip at those.

Thank you for always believing in me and sharing my stories. My goal in life is to write a book and find purpose again. I wish I could be a better human. Today, I am just trying to get by.