Help Nikki Get Back On Her Feet

My name is Nikki Smith, and on August 3rd, 2024, I was traveling for work out of state when I fell, breaking my fibula in multiple places and dislocating my ankle, which tore my deltoid and tibiofibular ligaments. I recieved emergency care in Chicago before (painfully) flying home.

Due to the stress and contributing factors surrounding my accident, I had to leave my job on August 7th. Leaving a career that I loved in a sector that meant so much to me was absolutely devastating.

I had surgery on August 12th to place screws in my leg and repair the torn ligaments. During the procedure, there was an error by the anesthesia team which caused them to completely perforate my soft palate. I'm expected to remain in the post-surgery splint until August 29th, when I will recieve a hard cast and keep that for 6 to 8 weeks. Following the hard cast, I'm expected to need a boot for another 6 to 8 weeks along with physical therapy to walk again. This unfortunately prevents me from seeking employment in a traditional format (the injury is on my right leg, also preventing me from driving) until late October at the very least.

Because of no longer having my job, Ada now qualifies for Medicaid, which removed her from my Marketplace plan and increased my premium from $90 to $395 per month. I absolutely can not afford this, yet also can't afford to lose my insurance in the middle of this situation with my leg. My current out of pocket medical costs are near $10,000 after insurance and will continue to rise.

I am the primary breadwinner in our household, and for most of June and July I was the sole source of income. This put me already behind on bills before my accident.

Now, I'm facing the loss of my car (our only transportation) and my health insurance.

I have applied for unemployment and SNAP, however the requirement for both of these is that you must be able bodied and actively seeking employment (unless disabled) so there is a chance both of my claims will be denied. I'm also actively seeking remote and contract work, but finding a legitimate full time work from home position is difficult and is taking much longer than I'd hope.

I hate to ask for help. I know everyone is struggling today and it's harder now than ever to make ends meet. This situation has been incredibly traumatic and dehumanizing, and I feel like a burden on my family with all the help I need physically and financially. If it weren't for the increase of my insurance I'd likely not even consider this, but there's no way for me to continue healing without health insurance.

Thank you for reading this, and even if you can't contribute financially, I appreciate all your well wishes and support. I have always been fiercely independent and this experience has been a hard pill to swallow. I am thankful for all of my friends, family, and community for all their help so far, and I can assure you I will not forget it.

Thank you,

Nikki