Leah's Fight: Medical Bills and Healing

Hi, I'm Leah and I could really use some help. After surviving breast cancer, I have had to deal with chemo-induced neuropathy in my hands and feet. Each year brings more numbness and more pain. It has even moved throughout my body. Last September, I was diagnosed with colitis. The heavy doses of antibiotics and stomach meds left me out of work for a month. I finally returned to work at the beginning of November. After a week, I suffered 4 seizures. Now mind you, where I live has a cement floor. I'd only been there a month. This happened on the first Sunday in November. Each seizure had me wake up to the sound of my head cracking on the cement floor. I called my son. He was on his way to work and was trying to get me to go to the hospital. Stubborn me told him to go to work and pick me up in the morning. So after work, off to the ER we went. After the CT scan, the doctor came in and told me I had 4 brain bleeds, a fractured skull behind the right ear, and a fractured left jaw. They rushed me to Regions Hospital Trauma Center. I spent 5 days there. I had to learn how to use a walker. I could barely walk or stand up on my own. I was taken out of work until a few days before Christmas. So excited to finally be back to work, even though I had to use a walker. All was good, right? Thinking I was on the mend, I started to look for work again. All was going OK until they doubled my doses of medicine. I fell and I called my son. As I was talking to him, all of a sudden I started to stutter and it was like I had to force myself to talk. My son came, as well as the ambulance, and I was admitted to the hospital. I spent 4 nights there. They cut all my medications for a day, then gradually increased the dosage. Finally, I got my voice back. The doctor said that all the new medications and doses had caused stroke-like symptoms. It was so scary. Then in April, I fell suddenly, landing on both knees and my ankle. I was unable to walk. The ambulance took me to the hospital. I was there for 5 days. Again, I couldn't work. A week later, I had more seizures. Off to the ER again. This time I hurt my right arm really bad. Now I looked funny trying to walk with a walker while limping and trying to do it one-handed as my arm was in a sling. I was still out of work. I was looking, yet in the back of my mind, I kept thinking how could I work in this condition while worrying that my rent was not paid and how would I pay June and now going into July rent? I was starting to heal... right? No. A couple of weeks later, I had more seizures. This had been caused, they say, by my medications for my neuropathy and blood pressure.

Now I really didn't know what to do since I had no insurance. Yes, I applied through the county, but after 2 months, still no word. I have almost $28,000.00 in medical bills. Some are at the clinic, so I can't see my doctor. Maybe I could if I brought $150.00 to see her. That wasn't going to happen. I was -$45.00 in my account with no cash. Now July is coming up and I'm not sure if they will let me stay. As with July, I will be 3 months behind, amounting to $2,700. I hope they will work with me to let me stay. I can apply for emergency help on July 1st. I am so scared I will be homeless with no car. I'm waiting on the judge to approve my SSDI and have been applying for PT work near my son's home so he can take me.

This is really hard for me. If you can help me, I would be forever grateful. I just don't know what to do.