Hi guys,

I don't like asking for help; I am stubborn and have that "I'll figure it out" attitude 99% of the time. Today, however, a good friend of mine has convinced me that I can set my pride aside for a moment to make sure that me and my kids are OK.

For those of you that don't know me, Hi, I'm Hollie, and I'm a single mom working full-time to support my two neuro-divergent kiddos.

Back in January, I came down with a serious case of strep throat. I got better with antibiotics, but within three days of being off the meds, my throat swelled right back up, was painful, and covered in white stuff. I thought my strep had come back and went back to our local walk-in clinic (urgent care), only to be told that it wasn't strep but really bad tonsil stones, and I was immediately referred to an ENT with the recommendation of a tonsillectomy. As with anything within the US health system, it moved at a snail's pace, and it took over a month to have said appointment with the ENT.

The ENT did, in fact, deem the tonsillectomy to be a necessity due to the severity in which the stones left the tonsil tissue deformed. On the Brodsky Tonsil Grading Scale, I was considered a 4, which means that the tonsils occupy >75% of the airway, often touching at the midline (sometimes referred to as "kissing tonsils").

The last two months have been spent struggling to eat solid foods without choking, losing my voice if I speak too much (that's been great working customer service), and constantly feeling like I have something stuck in my throat.

I have surgery scheduled for April 27th. There are much higher chances of complications as adults, and the recovery time is much longer than that of a kid. I have been told that I need to take 3 weeks off of work for recovery. I unfortunately do not qualify for short-term disability, and the company I work for doesn't offer any kind of paid medical leave. I cannot afford to not work for 3 weeks, especially now that I just had to purchase a new vehicle to replace mine with a bad transmission, so I have no savings of any kind.

I know things are tough all over, but if you could spare a few bucks to help cover the lost wages during the time I need off to recover from surgery, I would be very, very grateful and will do my best to pay it forward when I am in the position to do so. Thank you.