jENN Needs Help to finally Operate Small Business Sept. 1
Donation protected
Good moment in time!
Update: I really need to get the repairs done and take care of medical costs to get my Small Business operational on September 1, 2025! Thank you for your consideration! I will finally be able to sell cheesecake!
My name is Jenn. I am raising funds for a new HVAC system and repairs to get the installation completed. I'm going to be very straightforward and say I'm a very private person so this is exhaustingly difficult for me to come to this platform to ask for help. But, I came to the realization that I need it. I need you. I appreciate your donations, your shares, and your time. Time is so precious. This moment you are spending with me right now, I cherish it!
Our AC died completely in December 2024 when it hit nearly 90° and it can not be repaired. It has refrigerant that's no longer readily available and parts are exorbitant. The entire outdoor condenser unit is shot due to a major leak. The inside unit, the air handler, also has a leak but not quite as massive. 40% of the coils do not work at all. The cost for a new HVAC system will be roughly $17,000 to $23,000, with it most likely being the higher cost due to some unusual circumstances.
I personally have had several setbacks since 2019 that is making it very tough to afford this extremely needed system. And it's not about just keeping my family comfortable, it's about them living and thriving. A few days ago it was 19° and yesterday it was 80°. When it was 19° outside, it was 62° inside. When it was 80° outside, it was 79° inside. It's already becoming very difficult to bear.
A few of the things that have caused financial and physical limitations include:
- Sleep Apnea diagnosis in 2019 and lost my insurance shortly after.
- January 2021, a lateral incisor cracked while eating some chicken.
- October 2021, I developed achilles tendonitis and it seemed to resolve mostly after 4 months in a boot.
- May 2022 I had SOHL, Sudden Onset Hearing Loss. I couldn't hear anything except very, very low decibels in my left ear. They did a brain scan and didn't find anything(insert your favorite laugh here). Unknown reason but hearing came back for the most part after 4 weeks of very high doses of steroids.
- Nodules spotted on my thyroid during brain scan. They ordered an ultrasound immediately and that part is all good!
- Fall 2022 salivary gland infection. I looked like I had swallowed a tennis ball and was lodged in the left side of my throat. It was extremely painful. I found out I had a salivary gland stone.
- April 2023 found out I would lose my insurance at the end of June.
- Late April 2023 poor functioning veins removed from my right leg. Approximately 25-30 incisions.
- May 2023 salivary gland stone removed! What a huge relief.
- Mid June 2023 second leg vein removal surgery in a span of 6 weeks.
- November 2023 managed to get insurance set up for January 2024
- December 29, 2023 I hit the back of my head really hard when standing up from wiping spilled water. I ended up getting transported to the hospital and getting diagnosed with a concussion. I do not recommend any of that with or without insurance.
- January 2024, I could not step up over the threshold as my right knee was in excruciating pain. It took 20 minutes to take that 1 step. My knee wouldn't bend at all. A few hours later I was able to bend it slightly. The next day it was like nothing happened and my left leg ankle, foot, and calf were not cooperating. It turns out my achilles tendonitis was flaring up and I had 2 other tendonitis' joining in. My right knee had been doing all the work. My right knee is completely fine now. So I tried the boot again for about 6 months.
- July 2024 my doctor said I really needed to think about surgery that includes fixing up the achilles tendon, removing damaged tissue in my foot, removing bone spurs, and lengthening my achilles tendon in my calf. I was very hesitant due to the 3 weeks of not being able to walk at all because my family needs me and I couldn't put so much on them.
- September 2024 I scheduled achilles, etc. surgery for November, the day after Thanksgiving.
- October 2024 I ended up with a really awful fungal infection called Sporotrichosis, a very rare disease in the US with about 1-2 in a million infections per year! It's an infection that requires anti-fungals to treat. The medicine interacted with a different medicine I was taking so, I had to stop taking both. I ended up on steroids again and it did seem to help quite a bit.
- Black Friday 2024 I was struck by Norovirus. My whole family was sick by Monday. One family member ended up in the ER needing fluid with a blood sugar of 39. Everyone was miserable.
- Monday December 9, 2024 I am coughing so horribly. I get diagnosed with Bronchitis. I apparently aspirated with all the vomiting. This led to the united of being well enough for my Friday surgery. I absolutely could not do it. It was so hard to cancel but I could barely move and there was concerns of pneumonia.
Please know that I am very grateful to be able to write any of this. I wouldn't be here without the help of 4 strangers who saved my life in 2008. Their blood donations saved me. I had internal bleeding and had no clue it was going on. Between being told I needed a blood transfusion of a liter at an urgent care to receiving 2 pints and getting my levels checked again, I had lost another liter in a 2 hour span. 4 pints and emergency surgery followed by a week in ICU, I will be eternally grateful. I had lost 40% of my blood. If you aren't able to donate here, please share, and spread the word. But all in all, if you could donate blood to a local bank, that would mean the world to me! I've been donating since 1997 when I was finally old enough. If there's one thing we can all do, do this if you're able to. It doesn't cost anything. And you usually get a cookie or some juice after!
Thank you for reading my story. I need help. It's hard to ask, but I really do. Without going into details about individual family members' needs, I just really want to take care of my family. They need the air conditioning more than ever right now. Thank you again! Take care!
Organizer
Jennifer Sherwood
Organizer
Austin, TX