with bills associated with open heart surgery

Hi, I'm Brandy. I am 44 years old and getting ready to have open heart surgery.

I have had ten surgeries in the last 5 1/2 years: a neck surgery, a back surgery, I have had my gallbladder and ovaries removed, plus four cysts from various locations, I also have had six feet of my colon removed and then an emergency surgery which resulted in an ileostomy (where they connect the intestines to the outside of the body). The last two were only six days apart last September. I just recently returned to work. I have been off of work sporadically for each surgery but have always returned to working two jobs as soon as I can.  

While at the appointment to see if I could get the ileostomy reversed to live a “normal” life – they found a significant heart murmur, my mitral valve is leaking and pumping blood backwards and severe mitral stenosis. Open heart surgery is necessary. I will be off of work for at least three months, possibly up to six months total due to another surgery I will need to have after recovering from the heart surgery. Right now I am working two part-time jobs plus the Farmers Market and even that barely covers the past-due bills. 

Caleb, my husband, is a veteran and has a very high disability rating due to a TBI that he suffered on his second deployment. Yet he still goes to work every day and does whatever he can to make ends meet, including working side jobs cleaning windows and gutters, on his days off. Caleb also underwent a surgery and was off of work for two months at the same time I was not working. Our savings are long gone. We owe several people money. Neither of us could possibly work any harder than we already do. Even with both of us working, it would take almost a year to get out of the financial hole our medical issues have put us in. And now, I am having to take several more months off of work.

Due to all of the things I recently have gone through I have developed anxiety attacks and depression.  Those things are new to me. I am overwhelmed to say the least. Prior to all of this, I led a faith-based support group for women called Faith and Recovery - giving challenged women Biblical hope. I even won a Hope Rising Award and was featured in the local newspaper for my accomplishments. I was also featured as the face of the day in the newspaper when I worked for Mad Ox Bakery. I volunteered as much as possible and felt like I was really giving back to my community. Now I feel stressed and scared all the time.

I know that with all of the anxiety and stress over bills and money that I will try to return to work too soon, and just end up making things worse for myself and slowing down my recovery. That is why I am asking for help. I would love to just be able to rest and recover fully from the two (possibly three) upcoming surgeries that I have to have without worrying about getting yet another month behind on things. 

Part of the money donated will be used to pay utilities, rent, and phone bills. There will also be medical supplies that I will need that aren't covered by insurance. Part of the money raised will go towards supplies, transportation to, and from upcoming appointments, and medicine. 

Thank you for reading, and considering to help with a hand up.

Feel free to contact me with any questions and/or words of encouragement.