Support for Tammy & Moriah During a Difficult Time

My name is Moriah Coles, I often sit and wonder about my life, what I imagined my life as an optimistic 20-year old would be. I wanted to be an emergency room nurse however fate had other plans for me. I met the most beautiful woman, Tammy. In a world that often feels chaotic and uncertain, there’s a simple truth I like to hold close: love is the anchor that keeps me grounded. So when she was diagnosed with Dementia at the age of 56 (in 2021), my breath was taken away….literally. I was diagnosed with restrictive lung disease shortly after, which now requires me to wear oxygen at all times. That would not be the end of our difficulties. On a sunny day in June of 2024 I endured a sharp pain in my left leg and noticed a purple hue in my foot that slowly crept towards my ankle. My leg was taken on a Wednesday, thankfully with zero complications besides the ones that were coming for me during recovery. With every tear shed, I began to realize that healing wasn’t about erasing the pain, but learning how to live with it and let it shape me.

I have known pain for years. The ultimate beginning of my health journey started when I was diagnosed with Type 2 Diabetes in 2003. From 2018 to 2025 my life was a series of hospital visits, doctors, tears, and heartbreak. With each doctor's visit, my chest would tighten with the undoubted anticipation of the bad news yet to come. In August of 2018, I was diagnosed with peripheral vascular disease, which led to pulmonary nodules in 2020, and the problems escalated from there. Among my new physical health struggles came the unforeseen side effect no doctor, brochure, or scary commercial warned me about…it was my depression and anxiety. The struggles in my mind didn’t compare to the physical struggles I was enduring. The thing about my depression was that I could survive it if I could see the end in sight, but I found after each doctor’s appointment my depression compounded into an impossible mountain of memories that couldn’t be pushed down. How can one person take so much pain? I wanted to disappear...into nothing. My goal was to exist within the walls of my home with my consciousness in a peaceful sleep. I want to disappear, but thankfully my wife finds me every time. But healing doesn't mean that the damage never existed, it just means the damage no longer controls our lives. And I don’t want my damage to define me.

Learning to live without a leg, and then learning to walk again with my prosthetic we lovingly named “Gale”. Encountering new challenges within our home has been one of the largest difficulties. Our bathroom has been the most unexpected challenge of all. A bathroom, once a private space that provided me hygiene, relaxation, and routine is now a source of anxiety caused by the barriers such as the absence of grab bars, toilets that are not height adjusted, and a shower that is not wide enough to fit a shower chair. Tasks once so simple, bring me pain and torment. My independence has been shaken, but still I stand tall (when my prosthetic Gale does her job!).

Struggling to navigate the loss of my leg and my wife’s dementia have all been exacerbated by the inability to use our bathroom as well as use my wheelchair through certain parts of the house due to the damaged floors. For me, the emotional strain of feeling unsafe in my home is just as debilitating as the physical challenges that came with the loss of my leg. These challenges often weigh the balance between independence and the need for assistance. Through these trials I have continued to work part time, being the only income source for my wife and I. Though I wish to go back to working full time, with the pain in my stump it is impossible. The burning sensations and sharp pain comes and goes which means I am unable to work most days. Money is tight, and there are days when it feels like we’re just scraping by, but through it all we’re managing to stay afloat. We would love your support to create a space within our home that is safe, hygienic, and accessible so that we could continue to be resilient.

We have been denied assistance by:

The Amputee Coalition

Independent Living

Habitat for Humanity

Community Action Lehigh Valley

Chore Program

United Way

Lowes

Home Depot

We were denied due to the following reasons: not being a veteran (but our whole family is proud supporters of the Marines! I have numerous nephews/brother-in-laws who are enlisted and have served), too much income based on my ‘full time’ hourly rate, and being too young. We have been denied social security and disability.

We are currently behind on our electric, we tried working with PPL and the Public Utility Commission. However they have denied all attempts for us to do a payment plan. I received an email recently that the taxes on our mortgage are going up in June. With receiving that news it feels as though the financial grip on our throats is tightening.

Thank you for taking the time to read this. Your attention means a great deal, and I truly appreciate your consideration.

Sincerely,

Moriah Coles