Hi, my name is Chris and I'm at wit's end right now. It's been a difficult couple of years. I had blood clots 2 years ago which caused a stroke, and has affected my balance and walking. Then, early this year was marked with a kidney stone, serious complications like pneumonia and kidney infection, so both things put me in the hospital, costing thousands in missed work and medical bills. Every MRI, doplar or CT scan was added co-pays, and ambulance rides were $200 a pop.

Later this year, I had a tree fall in my yard which cost $900 to remove, and the city cited me to have my house pressure cleaned for another $200. Then my AC went out. Before that was even fixed, (another $250,) along came Hurricane Ian.

This storm was a nightmare! In my town, we received about 24" of rain in 2 days! It started slowly coming in, but once it did, it had no place to go. I ended up with 5" of filthy sewer water in my home! My brother and I swept the water out as best we could, but by that night, it was a lost cause. Once the rain stopped, the water began to exit my house, so we "only" had to sweep out about an inch of water throughout the house. We broomed out the water for 2 days, getting blisters. We had no choice but to stand in the contaminated water the whole time, and now I'm dealing with mild (thankfully) infections in some scrapes I received while moving things.

I have very little savings and my insurance won't kick in until I pay $3000. I've already missed 10 days of work, and I only make less than $500 a week when I do work. There won't be any catching up from this one without other people's help.

On top of everything, I have several broken teeth that need repair, and my car is getting old. Honestly, I'm beyond frustrated. Someone suggested that I start a Go Fund Me account to see if I can get some help. I resisted at first, but now I really don't have any other options. I need your help. I am a 67 year old woman who can't even walk on the grass without risking a fall. I would take a second job, but health-wise I simply can't do it. Please help if you can. The money will go to pay for things like water extraction, replacing furniture, repairing my walls, and buying clothing, which was ruined in the flood. Any other expenses that come up while all this is going on will be handled as needed.

It has been rumored that most flood insurance will no longer be offered after this year. As it is, premiums will be so high that many of us in Florida won't be able to afford it, anyway. I need to get things done before that happens.

Thanks for caring.