Help Scott During Medical Crisis
Donation protected
Hello friends - my name is Julie Roberts, and I am fundraising for Scott Roberts to help him with bills for the next several months. In August 2023, he suffered a major heart attack and ischemic stroke, which has drastically changed his life and his ability to work. He has been working hard on his recovery, completely changing his lifestyle. His life now consists of therapy, testing, medication, appointments, and trying to live as stress-free as possible just to survive. His heart function is very low, and basic tasks cause him to have episodes of pain and shortness of breath. He has been back to the ER since his event, and Scott and his doctors are doing everything they can to try to stabilize his heart function.
Throughout the last year, Scott has been through so much:
- He had several surgeries late last year, including shoulder, wrist, and foot, which he is still partly recovering from.
- He and I separated this year, and he moved into an apartment in Albuquerque, signing a lease. Unfortunately, even basic apartments in town are now astronomically-priced ($1650/mo with utilities). I am helping him with bills when I am able, along with caring for our two girls, Abby and Emily. I wish that my situation allowed for me to support both households.
- He was laid off from UNM for a brief 6 week period early this year due to the position not being appropriately defined. This layoff caused his annual leave bank to be reset, and caused him to be ineligible for UNM's catastrophic leave program, which is specifically designed to help people in this exact situation - where they have suffered a medical emergency and all other leave is exhausted. He is appealing this, but it may take time, and it is only a chance that they will reconsider.
- He was approved for FMLA, but since his heart attack, he has used what little sick leave he had left, and is now using unpaid leave.
- Since the pandemic started, our family was on Medicaid after I suffered a job loss. This Medicaid fortunately continued through this year, but is set to end for Scott on 10/31/23. He has applied to renew, but will not hear back until the end of the month and may not qualify. He can get UNM health insurance ($200/mo + copays/coinsurance/deductible), but with no income, this will be difficult to afford.
- Federal student loans are set to begin repayment this month as well. Scott is on an income based plan ($168/mo), and we've submitted paperwork to have this recalculated, but may not hear back very soon. We are also looking into applying for a forbearance.
- He is pursuing short-term and long-term disability through UNM, along with federal SSDI. However, these processes take time, are not guaranteed, and will only be a fraction of what he was making previously.
Like many Americans, Scott is a paycheck or two away from not being able to afford housing or other bills. We are in unprecedented times with inflation and cost of living, and he his unfortunately at the stage where he needs help. Right now, his focus should be on doing what he needs to do to recover and live. He has cut all unnecessary spending, but still has many bills he has to pay. We are trying to avoid having him be evicted, along with other legal action for items such as his car, and allow him to pay for food, gas, and basic necessities.