Help Ntombi fix her stairlift
Donation protected
I have never before asked for money for myself, so please bear with me if this is as awkward as I feel.
I’m asking for help in paying to repair the stairlift that I use to reach my second floor apartment. After eight years, it broke down and needed a repair more considerably more expensive than I can pay for.
Most of you know I have been dealing with multiple health issues for many years now. The short version is that I have multiple sclerosis, which effects all parts of my body, including my mobility and stamina, a knee that only has two connected ligaments (it dislocates several times a week, in a good week), and severe asthma that necessitates multiple lung surgeries, but so far my lungs have been too unhealthy to risk the surgeries. And I can’t get the needed second and third knee surgeries until my lungs are strong enough. So yeah, that’s fun.
I walk with a cane mostly, sometimes with a walker, or even use a wheelchair when I absolutely can’t avoid it. That also means stairs are difficult at the best of times. I can and do climb a few at a time, but whole flights are not only difficult, they’re debilitating. Climbing a flight of stairs or more in a day can lead to severe knee pain, muscle spasms in my legs and/or back (thanks to the MS), uncontrolled shaking or numbness of certain limbs, and breathing issues.
And I live on the second floor.
Before I moved in, my family and I got a grant and a no-interest loan to pay for the installation of a stairlift and some other mobility aids. I felt lucky to get them, and religiously paid off the loan for the next six and a half years. Unfortunately, because of my mother’s years-long illness and death, our combined finances have suffered, and we are no longer in the position to do so again.
The stairlift broke down, and it was imperative that I get it fixed as soon as possible. It turned out that the motor had to be replaced, which cost five thousand dollars. We don’t have that amount of money now.
So here I am, asking for help. Ugh. If you know me, you know how hard it is for me to ask for, it even accept, help. But this isn’t about my pride. It’s about being able to maintain as much independence as I can for as long as I can. The stairlift is crucial in that.
If you can help by giving money, I would really appreciate it. If you can help by spreading the word, I’d appreciate that, too.
Thanks for reading.
I’m asking for help in paying to repair the stairlift that I use to reach my second floor apartment. After eight years, it broke down and needed a repair more considerably more expensive than I can pay for.
Most of you know I have been dealing with multiple health issues for many years now. The short version is that I have multiple sclerosis, which effects all parts of my body, including my mobility and stamina, a knee that only has two connected ligaments (it dislocates several times a week, in a good week), and severe asthma that necessitates multiple lung surgeries, but so far my lungs have been too unhealthy to risk the surgeries. And I can’t get the needed second and third knee surgeries until my lungs are strong enough. So yeah, that’s fun.
I walk with a cane mostly, sometimes with a walker, or even use a wheelchair when I absolutely can’t avoid it. That also means stairs are difficult at the best of times. I can and do climb a few at a time, but whole flights are not only difficult, they’re debilitating. Climbing a flight of stairs or more in a day can lead to severe knee pain, muscle spasms in my legs and/or back (thanks to the MS), uncontrolled shaking or numbness of certain limbs, and breathing issues.
And I live on the second floor.
Before I moved in, my family and I got a grant and a no-interest loan to pay for the installation of a stairlift and some other mobility aids. I felt lucky to get them, and religiously paid off the loan for the next six and a half years. Unfortunately, because of my mother’s years-long illness and death, our combined finances have suffered, and we are no longer in the position to do so again.
The stairlift broke down, and it was imperative that I get it fixed as soon as possible. It turned out that the motor had to be replaced, which cost five thousand dollars. We don’t have that amount of money now.
So here I am, asking for help. Ugh. If you know me, you know how hard it is for me to ask for, it even accept, help. But this isn’t about my pride. It’s about being able to maintain as much independence as I can for as long as I can. The stairlift is crucial in that.
If you can help by giving money, I would really appreciate it. If you can help by spreading the word, I’d appreciate that, too.
Thanks for reading.
Fundraising team (2)
Ntombi Peters
Organizer
Long Beach, CA
Jennifer Abod
Team member
