My name is Jen. I'm a disabled trans person caught in an unfortunate series of events leading to my current situation. It started back in 2024, when a random fall resulted in sudden, constant back pain. I was working a call center job at the time back in Texas, I had only just realized I wanted to transition, and was doing everything in my power to be self-sufficient and myself unashamedly, despite the state I lived in. I wasn't proactive however, on checking out what was wrong with my back. A month passed before going to the doctor, where they scheduled me for an immediate X-ray. This revealed that the discs in my spine were degrading, also know as DDD, degenerative disk disease. It's most likely the condition was already present, and the fall just sped up it's progress. Three vertebrae in particular, in the middle of my spine are dangerously close together and at risk of fusing. Despite all this, I couldn't stop working, because of my abusive family I had barely made it away from, I was living alone, barely scraping by to afford my own apartment, walking to work every day, doing 11+ hour shifts handling rental car insurance issues. I kept going until this became completely untenable, and before long I was set to be evicted, with no family, friends, or otherwise locally to catch me as I fell, again. The only reason I didn't end up on the streets of a west Texas city is because a random friend I had made online stepped in, and offered to bring me to Iowa, to stay with her and a partner. I warned her ahead of time that I didn't know how my condition would develop, and couldn't guarantee any timeframe for leaving to my own place. Everything seemed great at first, I landed a job at a local organic grocery store within walking distance, my back seemed to be hokding up, I got new insurance through the state programs, and managed to avoid a lapse in my hrt. It didn't last though, constant issues with the roommates, their partners who disliked me, my job not paying me enough to put away savings because I had to immediately pick uo my medical care costs again. It all piled up and led to my spine getting worse and worse, especially because I didn't have my own room, or even a bed to sleep on. The whole time, 8 months of working at the grocery store, I managed while sleeping on a comforter on the floor of our living room. I just kept pushing forward, my roommates added me to the lease despite our issues, everything was barely holding together, until it wasn't.

I couldn't keep working, I had to start taking pain control meds and myscle relaxers just to get through basic chores. All my previous medical conditions, and now the DDD fully disabled me, and it's been the situation for the last year almost. Now, our lease is set to renew in May, and the roommates can't afford to live with me anymore. They were supporting me because of my struggles, and it has bred horrible animosity and stress between all of us, culminating in them telling me around the beginning of they year that I would have to figure it out on my own. I tried many things, going to friends, getting on disability, getting unemployment from the last job, none of them have worked out. Being a fresh transplant to the area, I have almost no connections, no one here to help, and I've been fighting with the government to get SSI the entire time, and now it's almost time. I have no other choice but to ask for the kindness of strangers, in such a desperate time for everyone. My heart sinks lower than I thought possible having to do this, but my loved ones, the few I have left, I don't want them to have to see me fall apart, living on the street. If you can spare anything, if my long story has meant a thing to you. I ask for anything you can offer, no matter the amount. It's going to take a scary amount of money to get through this. With no income, medical expenses, and no current job to list when applying for housing, my best bet is another roommate situation. Most likely a large apartment or house with 3 or more other people, to split the rent as many ways as possible. It will take a lot to get there, and get the treatment I need, but I want to try. I've already tried so many things, I can't give up now. Not knowing what it would do to my loved ones.