- H
My name is Terry Herauf, I am Blessed to be the mommy to 8 y/o twins. And equally Blessed to be an Occupational Therapist for over 20 years. Life was full of ups and downs. Triumphs and tragedy, as it is for all of us. MY beautiful twins are a Miracle, long back story, but the fact is during the entire pregnancy, it was said they would not make it to term and would not survive. But through God's grace and complete strict bedrest the entire way we made it to 35 weeks. They came into this world screaming and have been my whole life every since. In 2014, we heard the word Autism and this diagnosis became my mission to help my children recover from and to give them a promising future. I was saddened, but determined. However, my husband, did not fare as well with the diagnosis we received. Autism, the stress of a complex pregnancy for myself, and raising multiples proved to be too much and he suffered a psychological breakdown. He has since recovered, but has been unable to return to work due to this and some pre-existing medical conditions. He continues to decline a little more over the months. I became the breadwinner and was happy to do it. Daddy stayed home with the kids and I began to juggle work, the therapy/recovery path, the household duties, and finances. I am a Type A person so this was manageable for me. However, the financial cost of Autism had wiped out our resources and in order to stay a float and continue the amazing path of hope we have been experiencing for the future, we had to sell our home and then eventually declare bankruptcy. As a family we banded together and I took on a 2nd prn job. We found our way out once again. I loved working. As an Occupational Therapist, I am Blessed to be a part of someone's journey to recovery everyday. It was such an honor and gave me a sense of purpose. I believed even though I could not fix Autism or return my husband to his prior state, I was making a difference in my patient's lives. This was so rewarding for me. I love OT! And things were settling down into a beautiful routine and for the 1st time in years I felt safe and secure.
Enter COVID-19. I have been a therapist for the same company for almost 12 years. So when this virus took aim at our facility and residents, I was ready to jump in and do whatever it took to keep all the residents and my coworkers safe. We all went above and beyond, stepping outside of our "job descriptions" to pull together and get through. I felt like part of a family/team who were doing all we could to protect the ones we loved. Our cases increased, and on 6/2/20, I tested positive. I isolated and was thankfully mostly asymptomatic. I was out of work for 2 weeks and felt helpless once again to help my work family.
When I returned to work, I jumped back in head first. Helping where and when needed, in addition to performing my normal duties. Things were looking up. Our residents were recovering and we were even able to break down one of our COVID units. Which I gladly pitched in to assist with. I felt at peace with how things were progressing and excited for my residents return to their normal routines. On 6/25/20, as I was getting ready to walk out the door for my weekend, my supervisor asked for a minute of my time. We ended up in the HR office and I was told, "We are laying you off effective immediately." I sat there stunned. I have been with this company for almost 12 years. Today, I am still in shock. I feel as though I am in a dream. I gave so much and was regarded as so little.
Due to COVID, no one is hiring. Unemployment in Florida only pays $275 a week, regardless of your prior salary. The drop in income is not my biggest worry. It is the cost of continuing my medical coverage under COBRA. The medical coverage I worked hard on for 18 months fighting to get it to cover the costs of Autism treatment/interventions. I have to keep it going until I can secure a full time position. The cost of COBRA is $2051.00 per month. I have cut everything I can. We are moving from our rental home into a small villa. We are putting off a surgical procedure my husband needs. I am trying to do as much prn work as possible. But this is not even coming close to enough. I am lost. The costs of moving and my 1st COBRA payment will wipe me out. I will have nothing left. I have not only lost a career I LOVED, but I am losing my means of providing for my family. I have Faith that God will see us through this and we will make it to the other side as we have done many times before. I am terrified of the next couple of months and have no idea where the financing to keep insurance and to downsize will come from. I have never done anything like this before. I have always wanted to work hard to make my way, but I can't see any way out. I am desperate. So I ask you through tears of anguish and pain if you could find it in your heart to help me help my family. I know we are all struggling right now and trust me if it was not for my twins, I would not be doing this. I need your help and prayers. Please help me to regain some hope.
Enter COVID-19. I have been a therapist for the same company for almost 12 years. So when this virus took aim at our facility and residents, I was ready to jump in and do whatever it took to keep all the residents and my coworkers safe. We all went above and beyond, stepping outside of our "job descriptions" to pull together and get through. I felt like part of a family/team who were doing all we could to protect the ones we loved. Our cases increased, and on 6/2/20, I tested positive. I isolated and was thankfully mostly asymptomatic. I was out of work for 2 weeks and felt helpless once again to help my work family.
When I returned to work, I jumped back in head first. Helping where and when needed, in addition to performing my normal duties. Things were looking up. Our residents were recovering and we were even able to break down one of our COVID units. Which I gladly pitched in to assist with. I felt at peace with how things were progressing and excited for my residents return to their normal routines. On 6/25/20, as I was getting ready to walk out the door for my weekend, my supervisor asked for a minute of my time. We ended up in the HR office and I was told, "We are laying you off effective immediately." I sat there stunned. I have been with this company for almost 12 years. Today, I am still in shock. I feel as though I am in a dream. I gave so much and was regarded as so little.
Due to COVID, no one is hiring. Unemployment in Florida only pays $275 a week, regardless of your prior salary. The drop in income is not my biggest worry. It is the cost of continuing my medical coverage under COBRA. The medical coverage I worked hard on for 18 months fighting to get it to cover the costs of Autism treatment/interventions. I have to keep it going until I can secure a full time position. The cost of COBRA is $2051.00 per month. I have cut everything I can. We are moving from our rental home into a small villa. We are putting off a surgical procedure my husband needs. I am trying to do as much prn work as possible. But this is not even coming close to enough. I am lost. The costs of moving and my 1st COBRA payment will wipe me out. I will have nothing left. I have not only lost a career I LOVED, but I am losing my means of providing for my family. I have Faith that God will see us through this and we will make it to the other side as we have done many times before. I am terrified of the next couple of months and have no idea where the financing to keep insurance and to downsize will come from. I have never done anything like this before. I have always wanted to work hard to make my way, but I can't see any way out. I am desperate. So I ask you through tears of anguish and pain if you could find it in your heart to help me help my family. I know we are all struggling right now and trust me if it was not for my twins, I would not be doing this. I need your help and prayers. Please help me to regain some hope.