Help Martin with living costs post Broken Neck

Hi,

My name is Martin, I am a 62 year old builder who has ran into some difficult times and I don't know where else to go for support. I now face up to 8 months with no income and still have building work to do on my house to make it more habitable. I have been in the building industry for over 40 years, I have no insurance other than liability, I have no entitlement to sick pay and receive no benefits.

After working on building sites for so long in recent years my body has been struggling to cope. Over the last year I have had steroid injections in my knees, which seems quite major at the time. But in the last month things have taken a real turn for the worse and I am now facing Christmas in hospital and New Year of rehabilitation. I have a heart condition that recently go much worse leaving me tired all the time. My GP told me to report directly to A&E for further investigations to hopefully get a pacemaker fitted. During that time in A&E that discovered a problem with my stomach, that they suspect to be bowel cancer. Over the last few weeks I have been have tests to try and get to the bottom of what this problem could be, as well as further the investigations for my heart.

Last Tuesday after a day at hospital for scans I went to bed early only to wake up in the early hours feeling sick. I got up to go to the toilet and I passed out. I woke up a short while later to have a pain in my neck and arms. I went straight back to hospital to be told I have fractured my spine at the C2 vertebra. Whilst I am very lucky to have movement in my arms and legs, I am not fortunate enough to have insurances to cover the months of rehab and recovery I no need to survive what is effectively a broken neck.

I live by myself, in house I am converting to 3 flats. My intention was to live on one of them, however I still need to complete around £20K of to complete the build. I am effectively living rough in building site. Whilst that is major concern, my immediate concern is I have no savings, or insurance, to cover the 3- 6 months of rehab I will have to do before I can get back to work. I wont be able to drive myself to medical appointments, I cant afford food or heating for the one live-able part of my flat that I stay in. I well and truly up the creak without a paddle and facing the rapids at the moment.

I have been a great builder to all my customers over the years, reasonable priced and doing some great work, from emergencies to extensions. I have always gone the extra mile to help people out, part of the reason I have not sick or accident insurance was to not push the prices up for my customers. I know this is now foolish, but just wanted to do the best I could for the people who needed the work done. I now need some of the help and goodwill back as I simply don't know where to turn.

I have nothing, no income whatsoever until I can be fit enough to work again.... please help.....