- J
- K
- M
“Ain’t Too Proud Too Beg...Sweet Darlin!”
0% complete
$10,645 raised of
104 donations
With a little arm twisting we got our proud, southwest-side girl, Angela Gotto, 52, to see the value in “getting by with a little help from her friends!”
Battling Multiple Sclerosis since the age of 26 — costing her a job, her savings & 401k — she wound her way through the bureaucracies of our social safety nets for 4 long years before securing Social Security Disability Benefits (SSDI) and minimal supports through Medicaid.
The ensuing years found her contending with limited work & social opportunities, the loss of family and ever increasing costs of living. Recently, she was forced out of her accessible Burbank apartment of 10+ years by a corporate management company's shockingly high rent increase.
As Angela transitions to a new apartment & town she faces obstacles maintaining coherence in medical, rehabilitative and assistive care in addition to the daily costs of living.
We all contend with life’s tests & struggles, but affliction with a disease which attacks so aggressively and with little warning makes it that much harder to persevere in the face of those challenges.
Angela's Relapsing-Remitting Multiple Sclerosis (RRMS), a chronic condition with no known cure, presents a range of physical, emotional, and cognitive hurdles that significantly impact her daily life. She experiences fatigue, numbness, vision problems and muscle weakness. These symptoms' sudden onset is disruptive, distressing and resulted in two falls this year. Fortunately, those falls weren't serious.
Beyond the physical toll, RRMS affects mental health, leading to anxiety, depression, and feelings of isolation. Angela's fear of a future relapse weighs heavily, making emotional and psychological coping as difficult as managing physical symptoms. Added to this is the immediate financial strain, intensified by her recent move.
Served well by the brave face she puts on intentionally each and every day, the truth is, Angela's decades long struggle with MS has her up against her personal limitations and is simply exhausting.
The prognosis for individuals living with Relapsing-Remitting Multiple Sclerosis (RRMS) varies widely. It's possible that Angela's RRM will transition to secondary progressive MS (SPMS), where the existing symptoms worsen with fewer distinct relapses. Ongoing medical care, lifestyle adjustments and emotional support are key to managing the disease and maintaining quality of life.
With a strong desire to re-enter the workforce, Angela could use a generous boost to stabilize circumstances and give her a chance to regroup. Let's come together to launch her out of the old & into the new, reassuring her that she will ‘get by a with a little help from her friends.’
Angela's current benefits include:
Social Security Disability Income
- Gross - $2,034.00 / month
- Net - $1,849.00 / month
Medicaid
- 20% Healthcare Costs + Personal Aids
- Food Benefit (SNAP) - $87.00 / month
Angela’s monthly expenses include:
- Rent: $1,260.00
- Gas - $90.00
- Water - Included
- Electric - $130.00
- Phone - $35.00
- Internet/cable - $70.00
- Transportation - $50.00
- Groceries- $450.00
- Household- $200.00
- Laundry - $48.00
- Personal hygiene supplies - $150.00
Total = $2,483.00
Angela finds herself in a shortfall of $634.00/month, presently.
To shield against any reduction or loss of state or federal benefits, a Third Party Special Needs Trust must be established to receive funds from this campaign.
Sara E. Reichert of Chamberlin Reichert Law Group has been retained to create the Trust with Angela's longtime friend and GFM campaign organizer, Kathy Witkowski, as Trust Agent and brother Rocco Gotto as the Trust Protector.
Below are 'Permissible Special Needs Trust Distributions,' an example of how your donations will be used:
- Accounting Services
- Acupuncture/Acupressure
- Alterations or mending to clothing -shoe repairs
- Appliances (TV, Stereo, Microwave, Stove, Refrigerator, Washer/Dryer and Maintenance/Repairs)
- Bottled Water or Water Service
- Books, E-Reader
- Camera, memory cards, the cost to print digital photos, digital video recorder, photo albums, scrapbooks and supplies
- Clothing
- Clubs and club dues (record, book, health, service, zoo, Advocacy Groups, museums)
- Computer hardware, software, program, maintenance/service, Internet Service, Online Streaming Video Service
- Conferences
- Courses or classes (academic or recreational) including books and supplies
- Curtains, blinds, drapes and the like
- Dental work not covered by Medicaid, including anethesia
- Downpayment on home or security deposit on apartment
- Dry Cleaning and/or Laundry Services and/or supplies
- Elective surgery
- Fitness Equipment
- Funeral Expenses
- Furniture, home furnishings and insurance
- Haircuts / Salon Services
- Holiday Decorations, parties, holiday cards
- Home alarm and/or monitoring/response system
- Home improvement repairs and maintenance (not covered by Medicaid) including tools to perform home improvements, repairs and maintenance by homeowner
- Home purchase (to the extent not covered by benefits)
- House cleaning , maid service, lawn services, snow removal
- Independent Care Managers/Case Managers
- Insurance (home and/or possessions)
- Insurance Co-Payments not covered by any other source
- Legal Fees / Advocacy (Chamberlin Reichert Law Group)
- Linens, towels, bedding and other household furnishings
- Massage, facials and other similar services or treatments
- Moving costs
- Musical Instruments (including lessons and music)
- Non-food grocery items (laundry soap, bleach, fabric softener, deodorant, dish soap, hand and body soap, personal hygiene products, paper towels, plastic wrap, plastic or reusable bags, napkins, Kleenex, toilet paper, any household cleaning products
- Outstanding medical bills
- Over the counter medications (including vitamins and herbs, etc.)
- Personal Assistance Services not covered by Medicaid
- Pet and pet supplies, veterinary services
- Physician specialists if not covered by Medicaid
- Private counseling if not covered by Medicaid
- Stationary, stamps, cards, etc.
- Storage units
- Taxi cab, Uber, Lyft
- Telephone service & equipment, including cell phones and data packages for iPads, etc.
- Therapy (Physical, Occupational, Speech) not covered by Medicaid
- Tickets to concerts or sporting events (for beneficiary and an accompanying companion necessary to enable beneficiary to attend)
- Transportation (bus passes)
- Utility bills (direct TV, cable, satellite TV, streaming services (such as Netflix, Hulu, Disney+) electric, heating gas, waste removal (however, if beneficiary is receiving SSI, payment of heat, heat, gas, electric and waste removal will result in a reduction of SSI since such payments are deemed "shelter expenses")
- Vacation (but for a beneficiary receiving SSI, paying for a personal assistant to accompany the beneficiary may violate SSI's rules. The rules should be checked in advance of any payment)
With love & gratitude,
Team Gotto!