Monthly Bills & Survival

Hi, my name is Erin. I’ve always been known as the one to bear everything on my shoulders and never ask for help but always give help to those who need it. Learned that from my Grampy! In December 2022, I started to become ill and losing function in my legs as well as my hands. I lost about 20 pounds over the course of a month or so. I felt like death. I kept saying “get thru Xmas, then I will go in”. On Christmas Eve with the help of my family, I finally decided to go to the emergency room, as I was no good to them especially my two year old daughter the way I was. I was terrified as I had no idea what was causing my lower limbs to not function, I couldn’t feel them or walk. After a four weeks in the hospital, the amazing staff at UMass Medical Center, were able to diagnose me with Guillain Barre, with the offshoot of that being AMSAN. It took multiple teams of doctors, multiple tests, including spinal taps, and a nerve biopsy in my left leg to come up with that diagnosis of acute motor sensory axonal neuropathy. My husband and I were scared, we had no idea what this diagnosis meant, but here I lie not being able to even lift my legs half of the hospital bed. I was terrified that I would even be able to walk again with my two-year-old wanting mommy all the time. We were told I should get better, but will have a “new normal”. I will never be 100% like I was this time last year. After four weeks in an acute rehab facility, I was able to walk again - nowhere near perfect, but I could walk. My husband will tell you my first steps look like a baby giraffe that had just been born, my legs went everywhere and anywhere except for where I wanted them to go. Needless to say, I worked my ass off I had a goal to get back to my husband, back to my two year-old baby girl and back to my 3stepsons. Now is the hard part in telling you, my husband was part of a workers comp lawsuit. He was scheduled to start a brand new job after the first of the year in 2023 then I went into the hospital so all of that changed. The days of mommy working from home, bringing in the sole income to the household, and daddy taking care of Ella. We’re no longer. He took over caretaker of our two-year-old Ella and me. Visiting me every day, extremely involved in my care, and how he could help most importantly, though was taking care of Ella. She may not remember it when she grows up but I will remember those seven weeks seven weeks I was away from my household seven weeks I was away from my baby and stepsons, seven weeks I was away from my zoo babies who had no idea where mommy was, seven weeks from my husband! Seven weeks that every single responsibility of our household was on my husband’s shoulders. Let’s fast forward to today, I am doing a lot better, but I am not nearly 100%. Short term disability runs out next week 6/24; long-term disability kicks in but I won’t see any money for another 3-3.5 weeks. We are so very behind on every single bill you could think of, despite the immense help from our family. At the end of the day, it is not their responsibility to care for us, or pay our way. So here I am at 36 years old, born and raised a Catholic, learning, to ask for help for the first time in my life. I actually stood in line at a food bank just to make sure we had food on the table for the kids. I’m not asking for much, I’m merely asking for whatever you can spare from your heart, to help our family survive until I can go back to work full-time and my husband can as well. We thank you from the bottom of our hearts, it was extremely hard to put this together, and admit that we really need to ask for help. But we really do need help to dig out of this hole and keep us afloat on the week to week bills. Thank You ~The Zimmerman’s