Hi Everyone,

Let me introduce myself. I am an artist and am in need of your help. My name is Jeremiah Skurtu I recently became an amputee, and I also have major nerve damage in my arms and legs. My nerve damage feels like I am holding onto an electrical wire and cannot let go. My legs were just adjusting to the pain when they installed a spinal cord stimulator, which has helped somewhat. I have been fighting to survive since my wreck 5 years ago where i was hit head on by a pickup truck head on while on my Harley. there was no breaking , she turned into the front of me while talking on her cell. she owned nothing, and her insurance was crap. i spent over 40 days in the hospital and then 3 months in a rehab center..

Most recently, I was in the hospital and lost my leg. I had just done the bandage on my foot the night before. I wake up, have some coffee, and walked around from my living room to the place I live. went to change the bandage, and to my surprise my foot was black, the skin was hanging and bloated. my right foot went neurotic over night. went to ucsd Hillcrest. They did a bunch of tests, labs, scans with dye. the infection had gone into the bone and was to the ankle. 3 types of infection were found staff, mursa, and 1 more. it was decided to amputate below the knee. that's how I lost my leg... I was sent home with a manual wheelchair but before i left. i noted and mentioned to the doctor that my cureled pinkey was getting caught, and grinding on the wheelchair rail. he noted, but i was sent home with a large manual wheelchair. the doctor called in for a electric wheelchair but told me it takes time.. i got turned down...appealed and explained about my finger.. I'm stuck in the hall and the living room because the manual wheelchair does not fit in the rooms or the bathroom. I'm not even able to turn around in the kitchen. Yet the insurance is fighting me over the cheap electric wheelchair, even though my doctors from UCSD and doctors from Sharp Memorial Hospital have sent in multiple requests and multiple grievances. They won't pay for it. So that's where we are at... me needing money for a wheelchair and bills.

The manual wheelchair ground my pinky off to the point you can see the bone, and again infection got in, and the finger got removed halfway at UCSD Hillcrest and then fully removed at Sharp Memorial Hospital. The cause of losing my pinky was the wheelchair grinding on a hand that should not have been causing wounds to the operator. Yet the insurance doesn't want to pay for an electric wheelchair; the manual one is "just fine" even though it has ground off my pinky.

just 6 months earlier my hand was filleted open to drain the infection from my hand and all the nerves and tendons are still healing, yet according to the insurance company "doesn't show need of electric wheelchair. I am going to talk to legal aid about sueing my insurance for putting my life and limb in danger. Just to save a few bucks!

the money this brings in will directly go to Rent, bills and and the electric wheelchair. i have been fighting for disability for 4 years now and finally have got some legal ad, but even the lawyer cant speed up the government. my savings are now darned and i have nothing left. i have leaned on family, but my family is low income and they are struggling themselves. We live in San Diego and my portion of rent and bills are around 1200 a month. San Diego just became the most expensive city in the US . i love this city, but its gotten crazy. costs are sky high and no programs to help a single male to keep them from homelessness. i recently found out why some many homeless were camped in an area of downtown SD. they are surrounding the SSDI office of San Diego.

The wheelchair i chose for a few reasons is the jazzy ultra lite. this was chosen for the US warranty, the portability and airline compatibility. the weight I a big feature with only 32 lbs without the battery. i have 2 steps to transfer down and my sister has to load the wheelchair. the jazzy ultra lite carbon fits my needs.

as an artist I want to push my own work when I can, so please feel free to contact me if you would like to purchase some of my work. I have not produced a piece in about a year because of mental exhaustion and depression. samples of my art will be below.

right now, I really feel like people don't care about me. my world collapsed and the depression keeps me from getting thing done.

sometimes i want to just give up curl into my bed.

find me on Instagram @poeticbydesign