Help Pay Debts During Medical Mystery

Hi everyone, Asher here. For those who don't know me or aren't aware, I have lived most of my life dealing with severe chronic illness and pain, most concentrated in severe rheumatoid arthritis damage in my wrists and right elbow. I've managed it for the most part, kept myself afloat, been able to work and live my life with accommodations as needed. This year I started a new job that I genuinely enjoy and thought I'd be able to contribute to something great, pay debts that had accumulated during the pandemic, give myself a better life and generally have a good year.

In mid April my pain and general health declined significantly, with no explanation. I was unable to do my job as it required long spans of computer work that became physically impossible for me. I was leaving work early, in tears, because of the pain. I was generously given every accommodation that could possibly be asked for; new ergonomic equipment, longer breaks, generous time off. It wasn't enough.

In May it was decided I would be given medical leave from work while I focused on what was happening to me and seeking out care to fix it. State disability only pays out about 70% of your wage, and if you were living close to paycheck-to-paycheck already due to debts and bills then...well, point is I was expecting things to be slim for a while. The math worked out to me being about $400 in the red each month, which I thought would only last a month or two at most. I'd see the doctors, get the tests, get treated, come back.

Aaaaand now I'm on month 4 with at least two more minimum in the wings. The various medical professionals I've visited still have no idea what’s happening and I’m getting tossed about left and right to different tests and docs that all give me a shrug and tell me to shut up and wait in so many words. Because I've been on medical leave for a lot longer than expected, my bank account has been bled dry and I'm in a situation where I can't pay for basic living expenses anymore, let alone debts that have been piling up. Credit card is full, credit score is tumbling downward, and I can't really take on more loans even if I could get approved.

The $3000 goal I'm asking for is to recoup losses I've had in the last few months and pay off immediate debt, plus give myself some room to breathe for the next two months that I am guaranteed to be stuck in medical limbo. Most of the money (about $2000) will be going to pay down medical debts, personal debt to housemates who have helped cover my share of rent and bills, and be kept to help pay my share of said rent and bills going forward. The remaining $1000 goes toward paying down older debts, such as the credit card, and basic necessities like food and toiletries.

Those who know me know that I don't ask for help lightly. I tend to be stoic to a fault and try to help others more than I ask for it myself, often to my detriment in many cases. When people give me things I try to give back in kind; I prefer to earn what I am given, be it money, friendship, gifts, trust, anything. Hell you could argue that I often act like making this fundraiser is more painful to me than the literal visceral pain I'm in every day.

I don't know what else I can say. I am tired, and I am in pain, and I need help. I have less than $5 in the bank as of writing this. I am running out of food in the pantry. I don't care if you give $1 or $100, any show of support will mean the world to me.