Hi everyone, I go by Dez. I've been living on my own in SoCal for almost 6 years now. While it hasn't always been easy, I love it here. I've learned so much about myself, and I've made so many lifelong friends. Since I was able to drive, I put my energy into learning how to serve the homeless and low-income populations in North County San Diego, as well as the LGBTQ and immigrant communities.

Right now, I'm in a bit of a pickle. I am being laid off from my toxic job of 3 years while dealing with a medical crisis.

On top of the burnout I have from working in social work for the past 3 years, in the past month I've been in the ER for debilitating migraines and loss of vision. Each time I've been, I've had to tirelessly advocate for myself, as I am a Black woman who often gets treated like I am dramatic or drug-seeking. After 2 ER visits, on my third, I got diagnosed with the cause of my severe migraines and vision loss: IIH (idiopathic intracranial hypertension). There is simply too much fluid in my brain, and it was pressing on my optic nerve. I had to receive a spinal tap and start a medication that will lower the pressure in my brain. My vision, as far as I know, has reverted.

Of course, this condition is exacerbated by stress, so I am currently on medical leave from my place of work until my layoff date in September. After that, I will lose my insurance.

I currently only have $200 to my name. I need to buy food for myself and my lousy cat, pay for rent and utilities, hospital bills, medications, co-pays, my car, and my car insurance. I also have a significant amount of loans and debt that's kept me afloat without a traditional support system.

Currently, I am very depressed, fatigued, and in (thankfully) low levels of pain. I think the stress of trying to figure out what is going to happen to me financially is wearing me down. On top of that, now that I am not always in the toxic environment where I have been outcasted, bullied, and discriminated against, I am now processing the reality of how I've been treated. This is in addition to the years of trauma I have experienced as a Black woman with disabling mental health/developmental conditions.

I have been dealing with the state disability office since the end of July, and I have gotten nowhere near securing the 70-90% of income that is promised to those who enter medical leave.

I don't know what else to do, but hope that by starting this GoFundMe, I can scrape by until I get the help I need from the state, which is currently overwhelmed.

I don't know what else to say but thank you for reading my sob story, and I hope that the days to come are brighter.