I've come to the realization that I can't do this on my own. Those of you that know me know that I don't like asking for help, but here we are. Some of you know that I had half of my lung removed on July 28th, 2025, due to cancer. I was out of work for 5 weeks and over the last few months, I was trying to get back on track financially.

Then on Nov. 5th, I woke up, like any normal day, and did my morning walk. My right leg was really sore throughout my walk, but I pushed through. I went on to eat my breakfast and started to get ready for work. By now, my knee was killing me, but I headed to work anyway. I ended up going home early that day. I pushed through the next few weeks at work until November 28th. When I left work that night, the pain was worse than ever, and I barely made it home. I have not been back to work since.

Over the next four weeks, I had several X-rays and finally an MRI, which revealed I had a stress fracture in my hip and may need surgery. It hasn't even been six months since my lung surgery. I have been getting disability pay through my employer and was told they would continue to pay me even though the state of MN started paying disability benefits starting January 1st. I was informed wrong. Now I am being told I have to apply for benefits through the state and there's a 60-day application approval. That means 60 days without any pay coming in.