MJ's Journey Towards Health and Stability

Hi!

My name is MJ. A little about me; I started dancing at the age of 2 and did that my entire life. I started doing theatre when I got to middle school. After I graduated high school, I went to college for 1.5 years and dropped out during Covid. I switched gears and decided to take a leap of faith and go to school to become an EMT-B. I instantly fell in love. After I got my license, I began working at a local fire dept. They helped me grow not only as a provider, but as a person. They encouraged me to go to school to get my paramedic license, which I did. Unfortunately, during this class, I began having a wide variety of health issues. From GI bleeds to a stroke to repeated anaphylaxis. Come to find out, I have a wide variety of chronic illnesses. One of the worst being: Mast Cell Activation Syndrome.

These conditions forced me to step down from the job that I had known and loved and take a medical leave of absence without a set return date. No one can survive without a job, so I started working in retail. I am still having to call off work because of these episodes. Then, most recently, I found out I need a total hip replacement. That will again put me out of work while I recover. I have not worked a full-time job since May of 2024. Because you can't get insurance as a part-time employee, I have to pay for private insurance. Even with the tax credit, it is still over $300 a month for that alone. I will be honest, I am drowning.

Unfortunately, I have had to take out a series of personal loans to help pay off my medical bills and other monthly expenses like utilities, groceries, etc. The amount I am bringing home a month is far less than what I owe in bills each month. You're probably wondering why I don't try and pick up a second job. I wish I could, but the amount of pain and fatigue I come home with as is, the time I have off is solely used to rest. What about disability? Application is in progress. I found out from my primary care doctor that it can take 1-4 years before you start receiving benefits.

I went from dancing 25+ hours a week, building set pieces and hanging lighting equipment for theatrical productions, and working 24+ hours at a time on the ambulance, to having to use a cane to get around my house and at work. Having to use a stool to simply ring customers out at the cash register. And then still coming home and breaking down crying because of the immense pain I am in.

I know times are tough for everyone right now, but any little bit you can spare would help. My goal is to keep fighting, and keep going to doctors, and then be able to go back to the way I was. In the future, I don't want to be the one to ask for help, I want to be the one to help.

Thank you!