Hello everyone! My name is Kristy Painter. Thank you for taking the time to read about me and my story. In 2020, I had a brain bleed that took roughly 18 months to physically recover from. It was a rough road, but I was successful and was able to regain most of my previous skills with minor deficits. I was finally making progress rebuilding my financial landscape (which took a major hit as I was unable to work most of the 18-month recovery period) when on January 22, 2023, I had another brain bleed. This one was bigger than the last one. I am currently working with the medical team to regain mobility back on my right side, which is so weak that sometimes I have trouble brushing my hair or my teeth. Not only is the right side affected, but my mental state has been negatively impacted as well. I was working with the cognitive specialist to improve my impairment from the stroke. Unfortunately, I have had setbacks on the path to recovery. The right-sided weakness has caused me to fall several times, and on February 21, 2023, I fell and hit my head quite hard. After yet another trip to the ER, I checked out OK but my neck, shoulder, hip, knee, and ankle were badly bruised, sprained, and very painful! I have been unable to work since the second brain bleed and do not qualify for state disability or assistance programs. I am struggling to pay monthly living expenses for me and my family, and the pile of medical bills keeps growing higher every day. In fact, my recovery has recently hit another roadblock because I cannot afford the therapies I desperately need. This journey has been hard physically, but the mental and emotional toll has been tremendous on myself and my family. I know that I need to focus on fully recovering to regain strength, mobility, and mental capacities. However, with the physical, emotional and mental stress, it is challenging to focus on the massive healing without relieving the mental and emotional stress. The brain bleed not only impacts myself but my family as well. It is hard for them to witness the pain and the daily struggles of everyday activities; such as pouring a glass of water without getting it all over the counter. Maybe you have been where I am, scared and hurting, and someone was there to give you a helping hand. You know how much that positively impacts you and your loved ones for a lifetime. I am so grateful for anything you can donate. Thank you so much for reading my story.