Fighting to Stay on My Feet After a Medical and Financial Storm

Hi, my name is Mandy.

Since 2021, my life has been a battle for survival — physically, emotionally, and financially.

It started with a shoulder injury that required surgery, followed by a major back operation and another shoulder repair that forced me to leave my job as a manager. In 2023, I was bitten by what doctors believe was a brown recluse spider — and that moment changed everything.

After months of infection, multiple hospitalizations, and surgeries (including the loss of my big toe and part of my foot), I was finally diagnosed with leukocytoclastic vasculitis. This rare autoimmune condition attacks my blood vessels and causes painful wounds, clots, and inflammation throughout my body. Treatments failed, my body reacted badly to most medications, and the pain is constant.

I’ve spent months in ICUs, on PICC lines, fighting infections, pneumonia, and blood clots in my lungs and legs. The bills piled up while I was unable to work. Every application for assistance — disability, food stamps, anything — was denied.

I fought to rebuild my life. In 2024, I finally found work again at Publix — despite walking with a limp and living in constant pain. But soon after, the infection returned. More surgery. Another round of expensive, experimental antibiotics that cost over $9,000 a week — thankfully covered by a hospital charity and my amazing coworkers who raised $500 to help me.

Then, in August, I was hit by another blow — literally. A driver crashed into me on my way to work, totaling my only car and reactivating my back pain. I put everything I had into buying a used car, which broke down within a week. I’ve now spent over $2,500 in repairs, fallen behind on my mortgage, and am facing foreclosure.

I’m exhausted — but I’m not giving up.

I’m asking for help to keep my home, pay essential bills, and stay on treatment so I can keep working and healing.

If you can donate or share this campaign, you’re helping me hold onto hope after years of heartbreak.

All donations will go directly toward keeping me stable and rebuilding my life after years of medical hardship. Specifically:

Housing Support: Preventing foreclosure and catching up on overdue mortgage payments so I don’t lose my home.

Transportation: Repairing my only vehicle so I can get to work and medical appointments safely (Uber rides cost $25 each way).

Medical Costs: Covering out-of-pocket expenses for medications, wound care supplies, and follow-up visits not covered by insurance.

Basic Living Expenses: Food, utilities, and essentials while I continue treatment and work toward financial recovery.

Emergency Cushion: To help cover unexpected medical flare-ups or hospital visits from my chronic autoimmune condition.

Every dollar truly matters. Your support means safety, stability, and a fighting chance to move forward.

Every little bit truly makes a difference.

Thank you for taking the time to read my story.

— Mandy