Help the Gears out of a hole

Hello, my name is Daniel, though many more know me as Dr. Gears

A few years ago, I was abruptly diagnosed with advanced kidney cancer. It was a hard shock to me and my family, and we were very scared. However, I was able to have surgery to remove the bad kidney, and thus far, knock on wood, have had no real complications. After this, as we were struggling to adjust, I made a gofundme, after some "gentle" pressure from good friends. The massive outpouring of support, well-wishes, and love for me and my family just floored me, and I don't think I'll ever be able to truely say thank you enough for all everybody did for us. It let us thrive in a time where we were just getting by.

I'm not an especially proud man, but have a great deal of trouble accepting charity. It just feels wrong to me, somehow. Everyone has their own host of problems, what right do I have to ask for aid? I end up feeling like some kind of panhandler, or a failure that couldn't hack it on his own. However, even my thick skull can be beaten open by simple reality, given time. What's more, this isn't just my problems this time, it's my wife and family as well.

A little less than a year ago, my wife got a job opportunity to work as an autopsy tech, which quickly transitioned in to a full death investigation position. At the time, she already had a decent job in security, but she's wanted to be in death investigation for as long as I've known her. It was her dream job, as warped as that sounds...but that's how she is. She enjoyed it, despite some issues adjusting, and was working to get additional certifications and generally advance forward. It was far from smooth sailing, but she was happy, the pay was good, and there was room for advancement.

about four months ago, right in the middle of her night's shift, she suddenly felt as if she were having a heart attack. Pulse racing, head spinning, lancing pain, she was so scared she went to the ER to be checked out. They looked her over, and while they couldn't say what was wrong, they were pretty sure it wasn't heart attack or stroke. Scary, but sometimes the body is strange, right? Two weeks later, it happened again. Back to the ER, and still no results. I started thinking maybe she had developed panic disorder or some such. I've dealt with crippling panic attacks most of my life, and her attacks, as they continued to develop, seemed very similar. Still, we made appointments and started working with the doctor to be sure.

Meanwhile, my wife's work was being...prickly. Very, very hard to contact about all this, and a functional non-entity when topics like FMLA leave were mentioned. We kept them informed after each battery of tests...which all showed no major issues. Which was good, but didn't tell us anything about what was going on. Eventually, my wife's work asked for her medical records, where were sent. Then they asked for them again a week later...which was odd, but we complied with. Then total radio silence again for almost a week.

On the 10th, my eldest daughter came home from collage with a slight cough. By the evening of the 11th, the entire house was sick. I ran a 104 degree fever for almost two days. In the middle of this, my wife's work finally reaches out. They need even more documentation, some of which needed to be printed, signed, and returned to them. My wife explained the current situation, and our lack of a printer, and asked if it would be okay to provide the documentation in a day or two, once everyone wasn't dying. They said that was fine, and hoped that everyone would be better soon.

The first thing the next morning, they fired her over email, citing lack of documentation, then severed all contact.

She was, understandably, devastated. She left a good job for this one, what she hoped would become her career, and they thew her to the curb like so much garbage. We're all still coming off whatever sickness has ravaged the house as well. As I write this, my wife is curled in my lap, sleeping after another crippling panic attack and a hopeless bout of crying. We are, to say the least, in very dire straits. The hell of it is, we can't treat anything now. Her work insurance has vanished, so now we're simply trapped. We need to find out what is wrong, but can't without the doctor...which we now can't access.

So, now I'm here again. We are in desperate need of help. Rent, bills, food, and most likely medical expenses, any help with these will be a massive asset. The money you give will help us get through this pit we seem to have tumbled in to. Enough to keep us afloat until my wife can find out what the hell is going on with herself, and hopefully find a new job without too much issue. Though I may hate the idea of accepting charity, we're beyond that point now...and if I can do anything to help my family survive, then my pride can deal.

I know I've leaned on you all before, and I am so deeply thankful for all you did. I hate to ask now, but my family is teetering, and my wife is scared and sick. Please, give what you can. Don't put yourself out over it, but even the smallest amounts will make a massive difference to us. Thank you for at least reading, and letting me spill my heart out. Remember to be thankful for what you have, even if it's rough...it's so easy to lose things in just the blink of an eye.