Once upon a time...

There was a family, made up of 4 members. Mom, Dad, Daughter, and Son.

Mom, now 41, became what's known as 'Fully Totally and Permanently Disabled' in her early 20s. 

This misfortune occurred 2 years after meeting Dad (then 24, now 44.)

In the year 2006, after a surgery gone awry...Mom realized that something was VERY wrong with her, physically. She had to put her entire life on hold to find out what was happening to her and had to leave college, not knowing that she'd never return. She had higher aspirations...

Her hand forced by fate, Mom had to take SSDI in her late 20s, and received Permanent Legal Disability status (and the meager benefits as a supplement.)

She was impoverished enough that she also received Medicaid, SNAP (Foodstamps), WIC, and more vital social safety net services over the years. (Eventually, Mom found the Buy Nothing Project community, Cradles to Crayons, the Mitzvah Circle Foundation and other resources for the family to lean on...and they have been a tremendous support!)

Dad took on caring for Mom in about 2010, with some private helpers on the side. Sadly, her family did not care to be involved in her life, and still remains mostly out of reach.

The only truly fortunate event at this time was the fruition of years of hard work spent applying for SSDI, as 2010 denotes the year the "War of Filing for Social Security Disability" was WON! However, the G-ds of Health, Medicine, and Wellness seemed displeased by this achievement, and to Mom's dismay, her health began to plummet even more quickly.

She'd have periods of time where function was near normal, back when doctors managed her pain. (It was a very different political climate then!)

She could sleep, eat, drive, work, leave the home unattended for appointments and pleasure, practice yoga, learn ukulele, sing...and so very much more!

During flare ups of her conditions, however, she was left bed bound in agony, searching for the appropriate help and working for herself to earn funds...which she's too physically ill to do at this time.

A magical day occurred in 2016. Mom went to consult with some new doctors and found out that she had - as she'd suspected since 2009 - Lupus (S.L.E.) although the news she received next was a true shock.

Mom was pregnant, too! 

This was a feat her doctors told her would never occur before age 30, nor without Fertility Treatments. Still...her oldest child had been conceived. Seeing this as a miracle...Mom became MOM later that year in 2016.

Now, Mom had been suffering more than she let on. She also has Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome; Degenerative Disc Disease, Osteoarthritis, Dysautonomia, and more...These conditions actually make carrying a pregnancy VERY high risk, if not deadly.

Blessedly, Mom and babies one and two were lucky to have generally uncomplicated pregnancies for such complex health needs!

(In 2018, Mom and Dad were blessed again with their second child, but things became more difficult financially and Mom never really fully healed from either pregnancy.)

In 2019, a disastrous Lupus flare hit Mom, leaving her in bed, battling to reverse terminal Adult Failure to Thrive.

Nearly 5 years later, the kiddos don't remember what it's like to have a healthy Mother. Their Father, "Dad" works Full Time as a Personal Care Attendant for "Mom" his life partner through Medicaid.

It's now February, 2024.  We are facing multiple crises:

We are facing a host of issues that have accumulated over the years.

We have been attempting to work with systemic resources, but we've fallen through the cracks with the strain COVID 19 has put on the social safety net infrastructure.

We have no choice but to try and raise funds for ADA compliant HOUSING, as we are HOMELESS on February 29, 2024.

In the meantime, we're hoping to raise funds for:

 

Please share if you are unable to donate. Thank you for bringing us our "Happily Ever After!"

Our backstory:

We have been working hard since becoming parents in 2016 to find our way to achieve stability, and to climb Maslow's Hierarchy of needs. Unfortunately, we were dealt a very difficult hand...

In 2020, Mom's doctor told her that it would be "a handful of years" if out of pocket funds couldn't be raised.

Since then, Mom has been working hard at battling Lupus and Adult Failure to Thrive, but the rounds of the medication Methotrexate (also used as chemotherapy for certain cancers) have taken a toll without gaining control of the disease process. Her ANA has never been higher; Anti Chromatin Antibodies indicate that the kidneys may be next at risk.

In the meantime, she must be confined to a bed most of the time due to an inaccessible living space. Lack of central air and heating has been an unfortunate factor in her declining condition, because one of her conditions (Dysautonomia) is not under control in a living space that doesn't help her body maintain homeostasis.

She has also been awaiting multiple procedures and surgeries, in addition to other services:

And that's not everything...! The kids and Dad have needs, too.

Both Daughter and Son are interested in learning how to play guitar like Dad does! They love Minecraft but we don't a have computer for them to utilize. They're fans of Lego, but...well...who isn't?? Playdough, of course. Slime. Definitely cannot leave that one out!

They also want to check out Martial Arts like Karate. Daughter, 7, is an avid reader and adores Dav Pilky's Dogman Series.

Son, nearing 6 is a fan of Godzilla and King Kong, too.

Currently, our income is less than our expenses!

On February 29th, we may just wind up living in our Subaru Legacy sedan, lovingly nicknamed Linus II.

The family picture headlining this fundraiser was taken 12.25.2018, the very last time Mom was well enough to leave the home for a family gathering. Please help us make some new memories?