Help Support Joe’s Battle with Mental and Physical Illness

My name is Jenn, and I’m a social worker working with families experiencing difficult times. I’ve known Dianne and Joe for a few years and have watched their growth as individuals and as a couple.

They are going through really bad times right now.

Joe is ill and unable to work. He continues to wait for disability benefits after applying two times. He really can’t work, so he’s been without a paycheck for a while. His illness is both physical and emotional. He is totally unable to leave his house and frequently unable to leave his bed. He sees doctors and psychiatrists and has reached the point of hopelessness. I fear for his ability to stay alive.

Joe and Dianne returned to New Mexico after living in Connecticut for the last few years. They thought life would be simpler and better here. Dianne thought she would be able to turn to her friends for emotional support with Joe’s illness and the life changes that his illness is bringing to them.

They found a great deal on a trailer home, but then things began to fall apart.

Dianne had difficulty finding a job and spent months searching. She now has two jobs—both paying minimum wage. She works on weekends at Sam’s handing out food samples and works throughout the week as a sitter for autistic children.

The stress of their current situation has made Joe even more ill.

Their bills are insurmountable—currently owing over $20,000. This is not credit card debt, but debt for trailer payments, utilities, food, medications, and personal hygiene products. There is no way Dianne can support herself and her husband on her small paychecks. And the waiting to hear whether Joe has been accepted to receive disability feels insurmountable.

Joe has been ill, and applying for disability, for over three years. As the years go on, he continues to become more ill. Having to go through periods of not being able to purchase his medications makes it a lot worse. I believe his life is in jeopardy due to his illness and his stress watching his family fall apart with the threat of losing everything.

I realize that Dianne and Joe’s problems are not like those we frequently read about on GoFundMe. But there are two kinds of traumas, in my opinion. There are “getting hit by a Mack truck” kind of traumas like accidents and deaths, and there are eroding, continuous traumas where a family’s hope and ability to function slowly bleeds out. Both kinds of trauma end in death or significant life changes or the destruction of a family.

Dianne and Joe are physically, emotionally, and financially bleeding out. They are about to lose their home and vehicle and ability to stay afloat.

I would appreciate it so much if you could help me help them.