Support Melissa Young's Battle with cancer and knee recovery

Hello My name is Melissa Young. I am 53 years old. I have been out of work since November 22, 2023 due to total knee replacement surgeries on both of my knees. One surgery was on November 22, 2023 and the other one was on April 5, 2024. Even though the doctor, Casey O'Conner has released me to go back to work my knees are not healed in the inside. I can't bend them or straighten them out without being in pain. I have trouble getting up from a seated position and walking up and down stairs because my knees hurt. When stand for long periods I have to sit down. My legs below my knees hurt constantly while I'm trying to sleep. The doctor isn't concerned with that. He's only concerned about not leaving me out of work for a year because the longer I be out the less chance I will have to go back to work. He's not concerned about me physically being able to do my job that I've worked for 13 years. He say I got to do something and I can go back to work.

Since being out of work I was diagnosed with breast cancer again in the same breast that I had it in three years ago. With getting the strongest dosage of radiation that I could receive three years ago it left me with no other option but to have my breast cutted out or getting it cut off. I was supposed to use my own fat from my stomach to rebuild that breast but I can't have it done because I have to get kemo once a week for a year.

Since I have been out of work for so long my insurance will end September 1, 2024 but I owe $4,000 (and I rounded it off ) to catch it up to that date. After that date I'm being offered Cobra insurance which will cost $800.00 per month.

I thought when you're sick or having procedures done when you come out of work it's supposed to be worry free and stress free. It hasn't been that way for me. From getting paperwork filled out and the people dragging the deadline date out to the end and having to pay each time to get paperwork filled out. To the jobs HR or Sedgwick calling wanting updated information and my check getting cut off until they get it or them wanting to know when I'm returning to work and they want a estimated return to work date that I don't know has been really frustrating.

Now I'm getting kemo but the cancer doctor wants me to go to work. With all of the side effects that comes with getting kemo like hair coming out, being sick, white blood count dropping, weakness, organ damage, etc... why send me to work being around all of those people who can make me sick because my immune system will be weak?

I will have to leave the job once a week for a year to go get treatments. My job is always short handed. They will fire me because I'm going to be weak so I won't be able to lift 50 lbs. continuously, I won't be able to walk up and down all of stairs on my job to run my job effectively, standing in one spot to load glass onto the line and pack it off of the line will be hard to do because I can't stand for long periods of time without sitting down. I have never been the type of person to say I'm not going to do my job.

I'm asking for help. I need financial assistance to help me keep my house, car, and doctor bills paid so I can keep getting treatments.