My name is Coree, and for the past six months, I’ve been on unpaid leave from work due to a couple of illnesses and an arthritic back that keeps getting worse. It’s been a challenging time, both physically and emotionally, as I try to manage my health and keep up with daily life. I’ve always tried to handle things on my own, but this situation has pushed me to my limits.

Because I haven’t been able to work, I’ve had to use almost all of my savings just to cover medical bills, my mortgage, and basic living expenses. I’m currently applying for early retirement and hoping for leave donations from coworkers, but the process is slow and uncertain. I rely heavily on friends and my niece to get to my appointments since I can’t drive much anymore, and I’m doing my best to keep up with all the paperwork for work and social security applications without taking even more unpaid leave.

I know it’s been tough on everyone lately, and it’s very humbling and even a bit embarrassing for me to ask for help like this. I’ve been hospitalized three times during my leave, and unfortunately, there haven’t been any positive results so far. Things have gotten worse since last year, but I’m not giving up. I just need some help and time to try to get my early disability retirement completed. Any support you can offer would mean the world to me as I work through this difficult chapter. Thank you for reading and for any help you can give.