During Halloween, my mother who lives by herself three hours south of me fell down, and required medical care that extended for over a month. I had just left my job with the state of Missouri on October 28 in anticipation of beginning a new Federal job with the National Archives on November 18. It was a very difficult month for both of us, as she didn't recover well and I had to make five different extended trips to Springfield and stay at local hotels while she was recovering. I had to use my November rent money to do this; while I don't regret it for a moment, it created a crisis in my own personal housing that has compounded over the interceding time. There was a different fundraiser I set up for cover her costs: miraculously, she recovered fully and is doing well now! There was a period I thought I was going to have to commit her to long term care. If you look at that fundraiser, one of the goals was to move her to Kansas City, which still exists, but as she has stabilized and is doing well, had been set aside for now. The main issue that has developed is with me.

I wasn't able to work for a good deal of November. My new employers were very understanding; in fact, I was told "we would wonder about you if you didn't go take care of your mom." Which gave me comfort. However, just as her crisis was abating, mine began to grow. I had a series of trips to the hospital in December for various medical issues, including a smashed disc in my neck that requires a follow up with a neurologist. As I am meticulous about documentation, my bosses were understanding and I didn't suffer any ill consequences. However, having no leave build up, it was all leave without pay, preventing me from getting caught up with my rent.

January rolls around and I end up being diagnosed with COVID on January 2. This took me out of work for another two and a half weeks; when I returned to the job, after a couple of days, I noticed that I had broken out in two places on my side. As it turned out, my lowered immunity from COVID had allowed the Shingles virus to reactivate. I was unable to work yet again for two weeks until my sores had healed. However, there are a certain subset of Shingles sufferers that have a complication that is referred to as postherpetic neuralgia, and I was one of them. Imagine having an ongoing sunburn on your torso that you really can't relieve, as it's your damaged nerve receptors firing pain signals continually. My new job was a fairly physical one, so I was unable to come back to the office, as even just t-shirt fabric brushing across my skin created excruciating pain. (On a side note, the Shingles and its complications have been the worst physical experience I have had in my life -- if you are eligible for the vaccine, get it.)

This bring us into the second week of February. By that point, I discovered that if I don't move much, I am stable, so my doctor writes me some scripts for nerve medicine, and a letter to my job requesting a temporary accomodation for 30 days until I (hopefully) get past the neuralgia. My bosses submit the paperwork up, and tell me that they will do whatever they can for me. This is around Valentine's Day.

We don't work on the 17th because it's a Federal holiday. On the 18th, everyone who was hired at the agency with the past year -- all probationary employees -- are terminated by order of OPM and DOGE in Washington DC. Everyone, without exception. Including me. So I am now out of a job because of fiat from DC.

Over this time, I haven't been able to pay my rent, as I haven't been able to work, barring $1000 I was able to muster in January. I attempted to discuss it with my property owners, but my emails weren't responded to. So they've gone ahead and filed to evict me. The total of rent, utilities (I pay that directly to my landlord), late fees, and lawyers fees is currently $4,780.

I have a trial date of April 24. Luckily I also have legal representation. However, my attorney told me that his opposite number doesn't tend to broker deals and is only interested in money. So I have to find the money, or I will end up with an eviction on my record and won't ever be able to rent around here again. Of course, on top of this I am looking for another job. My union is working hard to try to get all of us reinstated, of course, but I can't depend on that at this point.

People aren't kidding Americans are about two months of paychecks away from destitution. I'm staring at it right now. But I have to tell you, I don't regret for a minute helping my mother out. I would do it again in a heartbeat, she needed me there, and it was the right thing to do.

I'm putting her on this fundraiser as an administrator, because she's just as worried about me right now as I was about her back in November. I've been trying rental relief agencies, but they all seem tapped this time of the fiscal year, and frankly, the money from the feds has dried up. I will keep the fundraiser updated in the meantime.

(I also had one of the wheels on my car literally crack because of KC potholes, but a friend helped me with that. I'm only mentioning it here because of how bad my karma has been over the past few months.)

If there's any way you can help -- even just a share, I would be deeply in your debt.