Medical Bills and Vehicle Repair Help Needed

How do I even start to ask for more help? It hurts my heart to admit that I just can’t do it but I’m broke, and I’m broken. I’ve depleted my savings to under $10. I don’t have credit cards to use. I’ve dealt with a debit card only for decades. This hasn’t been an issue until now. I’ve ALWAYS been able to find an additional jobs to make ends meet.

Since losing our home last year my life and my businesses have been turned upside down. I have several bookkeeping clients that I have had to “fire” for not paying their bills. I am down to five clients that don’t generate enough income to pay bills. This last year, I have also dealt with injuries and respiratory infections every few months. It’s most likely from the silica dust that I inhaled while the deconstruction of our home was going on. I ended up in the ER and have never quite been the same since. It takes longer to recover and I’m not breathing as deeply as I should. I’ve started some breathing exercises to help. I get to visit a respiratory therapist in a couple of weeks.

This week has been more trying than some. I also know there are people out there facing larger problems than mine. My heart goes out to you and my prayers are targeted for those dealing with the loss, or impending loss, of a family member. We’ve had 12 in our circle of friends and family this year and my dad is declining.

To “add insult to injury” I just received a collection notice for an ambulance ride I had to make in September last year from Leadville to Frisco. I never even received a bill from them and thought it had been covered by insurance. I don’t think they even billed my insurance but I’m looking into that. I can’t get it out of collection so I have to pay it. It’s just over $3100. In addition to that, my car’s check engine light went on Monday afternoon on the way home from a Memorial Day event. I took it to the mechanic yesterday and one of the two water pumps was leaking. It also needed brakes. John took care of that $2700 bill but can’t do any more, and I should get the car back today, but it needs more work that I can’t afford. It’s a 2015 Prius V, gets an average of 42 mpg, and has 188,429 miles on it. I still owe $2600 on it. I need to fix it and hang on to it if possible.

In addition to the current repair, the next repairs (needed as soon as possible due to inspection and mileage) include the second water pump, rear brakes, alignment, shocks, and tires. ALL of those are nearing their “end-of-life expectancy” and should be replaced within the next 2000 miles. That’s approximately another $4000 in repairs and I will travel that far in the next three weeks. My car is my livelihood. I have multiple jobs in June and July for caregiving and pet-sitting. I can’t work if I can’t get my car fixed so it’s a lovely income vs no income hamster wheel of how far I drive before triggering another vehicle emergency. I can’t afford to replace the engine if the other water pump blows while I’m on the highway.

I can’t take an Uber, Lyft, Door Dash, or other quick-cash job because of the miles on my car. It would be disastrous to the vehicle.

My right knee needs replacement before I can take on a job where I stand on my feet. I can’t afford to have that done either and the Kaiser docs say I need to lose weight before they will perform surgery. It’s one more Catch-22. I need to move to lose weight but moving is very painful. I believe Bette Davis 100% when she said, “Old age ain’t for sissies.” LOL

I am reaching out because I don’t know what else to do. Anything you can spare would help. If you can’t help financially, please add me to your prayers and share the GoFundMe in case someone you know might be able to help.

Thank you, in advance, for your prayers and any financial help you can offer. I appreciate you more than you know.