Out of work due to a hip injury—Please help keep me afloat!

Hi, My name is Marcus and last year I was jobless, broke, and living off noodles and rice. My apartment was gone. My car was gone. My mental health nearly took me with them. I fought tooth and nail to get back on my feet—and just as things were finally stabilizing, my hip gave out.

It started as a dull ache on a weekend in early July, at home. But when I went to work (I’m in manufacturing), two hours into my shift I was blindsided. It felt like I was being stabbed in the groin and thigh with a burning knife. Sitting burned. Standing burned. Everything burned. I had no clue what was happening.

Turns out I tore the acetabular labrum in my hip—the "O-ring" that cushions and stabilizes your hip joint. I've been out of work all July and my doctor wrote me off for all of August—possibly longer if I need surgery. No medication touches it. NSAIDs, muscle relaxers, even codeine—nothing. I’ve got physical therapy on August 19th and a surgical consult on August 28th.

The pain in my groin, thigh and hip as made it next to impossible to do anything in an upright position for an extended period of time. Right now, I’m in limbo: can’t work, can’t heal, can’t stop the bills from piling up.

I don’t qualify for short-term disability or FMLA—I haven’t been at my job a full year. I can't claim workers' comp, as the injury didn't happen at work. I’ve called 211, Stark County doesn't participate in the program. I’ve applied to local resources and, so far, nothing.

I’m asking for $2,000 to stay afloat through the next couple of months.

Here’s what I’m facing:

Rent – $400

Phone – $120

Insurance – $130

Groceries and gas – $200

Documentation: https://imgur.com/a/7eHne7N

I'm quickly running out of savings and I don’t want to lose what I’ve struggled to build just because my hip gave out.

If you’ve ever struggled your way up from the bottom, only to feel the ground crumbling under you again, you know how it feels. If you can, help me stay housed and keep fighting. Every donation and share makes a difference

— Marcus H.