My name is Alesha, and I have a rare disease called Sarcoidosis with Fibrosing Mediastinitis. What that means is the tissue in my lungs is turning into scar tissue, limiting my ability to breathe. We have been in and out of doctors and hospitals since October of 2022, trying to figure out why I was having such a hard time breathing. It was initially thought to be asthma, but over time, it just got worse.

I was working a well-paying job, and my husband had gone back to school to pursue a degree and finally do something good for himself. While I was working, it was manageable, but unfortunately, I have not only lost my job, I have become unable to work due to my illness. And if he were to drop out, all of his loans would come due and put us in an even worse situation.

It has become very difficult for me to do most anything physical, and the treatments I am on to hopefully slow the progression make me very sick. It has progressed to the point that if treatment doesn't work, I will need a lung transplant. If I do end up receiving a transplant, my life expectancy would be 6-10 years. I need treatment to work. It breaks me to think I may not be able to see my children even graduate high school.

This has obviously caused a huge financial burden with me out of work and my husband in school. He has been working so hard; he's made the Dean's List and has kept excellent standing considering everything that has happened. Even still, he has been applying for work for months with no luck. He is going for a degree in medical and rehabilitation and is set to get his associate's by the end of fall, and then will work to hopefully get his EMT by spring. We are so close to being able to sustain on our own, but are still at risk of losing everything. It's so hard not to feel guilty or that I am a burden, but my family doesn't deserve to suffer just because I'm sick.

I have applied and am eligible for SSD, but it can take months before I see any of it. This honestly isn't for me, it's for them. I don't know if I could live with myself if we lost our home because of this. I have applied to everything I could, and resources are running dry. I have gone through all of my retirement and savings up to this point to keep us afloat, hoping that something would come up, but the only thing we have for certain is my Social Security and my husband getting through school so he can get a job to support us. I HAVE to make that happen for him. Nobody deserves it more.

I really hate having to ask, but we're desperate. It's impossible to focus on recovery when I don't know if we're going to even have a place to live. Through it all, I am trying to remain positive and grateful. We have received so much support already, and to those that have helped us to this point, you are true angels, and I will be forever appreciative of your support. Anything will help, just please help me keep my family stable while we go through this.