Hey there! My name is Elise. I’m a 40 year old disabled person living with autism, as well as Major Depressive Disorder, along with a grab-bag of other conditions.

I’m currently on leave from my job due to a massive depressive episode. My company has been wonderful about letting me take the time to heal and come back when I’m ready, but that means I’ve been out of work for about two months. While my short-term disability application is being processed, I currently am without income and will continue to be without income until it is approved. Between my phone bill, my car insurance, my cats' specialized medical needs, and my own basic necessities, I cannot make ends meet without this income.

Additionally, my health care team is seeking treatment options that my insurance may not cover, but would be wildly beneficial to me. Some of these treatment options may involve traveling out of state, if I have the funds available.

Above all else, I’m hoping for long-term stability and financial security.

I want to stop being so scared to see how far my checking account is overdrawn.

I want to get better, and to be able to go to work every day like a real person.

I want to keep my cats fed, to remain mobile in a pedestrian-hostile environment, and to keep my phone on so I can keep talking to my friends on the internet.

I’m trying to live with as much dignity as possible, but given my limitations, I’ll never truly be able to live alone. However, I have been truly blessed, staggered, and humbled by the generosity of others, from the wonderful people who took me in after my mother died to the friends that buy me a smoothie. I am once again reaching out to that great web of generosity. With your help, I know I can get to a place that’s better than this. With your help, I’ll be able to seek out effective treatment options, to pay my bills, and to do more than just keep my head above water.