Hi, my name is Emily G. I’m a disabled mother of three (of Eli, Kae and Kam) and my spouse Keith G. is also permanently disabled due to a traumatic brain injury/severe epilepsy after being ran over by a car as a pedestrian years ago.

He has also unfortunately re-injured his head multiple times over the years since the original injury and is unable to do most things now.

I’m his full-time caregiver while also taking care of our children and now my newly-sober & elderly parents, Linda and David W.

I am over the moon to say my parents are finally in recovery after a decades-long struggle with alcoholism and I have been working with them extensively to get their health stable collectively.

We’ve done our best to stay strong and push through without asking for too much help from friends and family, although throughout the years we’ve had to swallow plenty of pride and ask for help, but right now we’re at a breaking point.

No Health Insurance

Because of the current administration and the changes the President has made, I’ve lost my health coverage and no longer qualify for any affordable insurance options or dental coverage. I personally have been out of work for a little over a year now, pulled out by my primary care physician, due to my disabilities and chronic illnesses that greatly affect my health. I’ve already applied for and have been pursuing SSDI but just received my first denial, which I was expecting as it is a long and arduous process to gain permanent disability, especially at my “young” age.

My Personal Health Situation

I have autoimmune diseases as well as chronic health problems and was recently diagnosed with an enlarged common bile duct and borderline pancreatic duct enlargement that I have been suffering from since August. These are serious issues that need more testing and specialist care that I am currently financially unable to receive. I urgently need an MRCP scan (I was told within 2 weeks at the end of August) but without insurance, it costs $250 out-of-pocket for that scan, which I cannot afford. On top of that my medications and specialist visits will be around $350+ a month for the next year without insurance, something we can simply not afford right now. If I cannot see the doctors and specialists that I need for the medical attention to keep me functioning, then I am not able to care for the other also medically fragile people in my life that are important to me.

My Dental Health

To add insult to injury, I also recently cracked a molar which now appears to be causing an abscess. Medication that I have been on for a while now and the autoimmune disease I have (Sjögren’s) unfortunately damaged my teeth horribly. It is incredibly painful and has already reached the point of infection, but dental care is completely out of reach as I have no coverage and cannot afford to have it fixed or even pulled. I am only able to chew on one side of my mouth and it has affected my ability to stay hydrated properly, which is incredibly important given my autoimmune disease, due to the pain.

My Husband’s Health

My husband has been in and out of the hospital multiple times this past year. He has T10/T11 wedging in his spinal cord and will finally need spinal surgery soon. The neurosurgeon we consulted said it would take him 6 months to recover.

He’s also had two seizures within the last year — and we recently learned that both times, he went into cardiac arrest and was not compatible for life. He’s still recovering, both physically and emotionally, and I’m doing everything I can to care for him while managing my own health.

My Family’s Health

My mother (and stepdad) is finally in sobriety after over 30 years of severe alcoholism and has been in and out of the hospital as well with heart attacks, cellulitis, colitis, and sepsis. She is almost completely blind now from wet macular degeneration and I’ve been caring for her and my stepdad, who is unable to walk and totally dependent on others, in addition to my husband and children. They are retired on a fixed income and have been financially struggling themselves.

No Food Assistance

The icing on the cake is that, like millions of others, our family is unable to receive food assistance this month, leaving us not only struggling but almost completely unable to buy groceries and basic necessities. The food banks in our area have been overrun for months, even before the food assistance was taken away.

We are living in severe poverty, trying to hold everything together while facing more than we can handle on our own.

I’m asking for help to try to raise $5,000 to cover:

• My MRCP scan and follow-up medical care

• Specialist visits, medications, and dental repair

• Food and essential living needs for our family

• Gas and transportation for medical appointments and trips to/from the hospital

Every single donation, no matter the amount, makes a difference for us and our complicated situation as a whole.

If you can’t donate, even sharing our story helps more than you could know.

I know this was a novel, but thank you from the bottom of my heart for taking the time to read all of this and for caring about a big family just trying to survive and heal through so much.

Always with love, light, prayers & gratitude,

Emily & Keith G., Eli/Kae/Kam, + Linda & David W.

**We also have Venmo (Emily_g94) and Chime ($gooneversleep) if anyone would prefer to donate there**