Medical & Mental Health Debt

In 2014, I left an abusive home.  I lived in various places for several months, including friends' homes, a treehouse, a campground, and a couple of hotels.  I was homeless for 3 months.  When I finally found a place, my health tanked, which is what happens to abuse survivors when they get clear of their situation.  I sank into a depression that made me unable to work for a while, and because I had never had mental health treatment before, I did not know where to start in getting better. 

I worked hard at establishing a routine life again, and after working 70 hours a week between 8 part-time jobs, found a full-time job in another state that seemed worth moving for.  I subletted my room and left for a new adventure, living at the camp I directed the first summer because I didn't have time to find housing before the job started.  Unfortunately, the experiences in that job were toxic and traumatic, and the following March I began therapy, hoping to understand what was happening to me.  I realized I was in an abusive relationship with my job and decided to leave after the next camp season.

Due to my particular mental health concerns, I was unable to figure out my health insurance in time for me to have coverage for the fall last year.  I needed therapy, I needed antidepressants, I had a wisdom tooth that abcessed and required two rounds of antibiotics, a dental visit, an oral surgery, and painkillers.  I have not had a normal menstrual cycle since the first summer at my toxic job, and have not had the money to see a specialist about it.  Much of my medical expenses have come out of my own pocket, though I have gone to the lowest-cost clinics (with stains on the walls and barely enough staff) and applied for grants and financial assistance.  And by out-of-pocket, I actually mean it has accumulated around me as a wall of debt.

When I was finally able to enroll in a health insurance plan, all of the ones available to me were too expensive because I don't qualify for Medicaid, but I have too much medical debt to have almost any unencumbered cash.  I'm living at the very edge of my means, having exhausted all my savings in the tumult of the past several years and being unable to find a full-time job that will pay enough to help me out of it.  I come from a poor background, and aside from living in a tent our couch surfing with friends for a year to save on rent, I have nothing else I can cut from my budget.  I work 45 hours a week between two jobs and am working to build my art business, which is turning a profit this month for the first time.  I go to therapy regularly to work through my PTSD and depression, and have thankfully hit on an antidepressant, exercise routine, and nutrition intake that works for me for now, so that I have only had to visit the doctor once every month or so.  I will be getting married soon and should be able to get health insurance through my partner's work, so my finances will ease up a little.  However, the stormcloud of debt hanging over me is such a stressor in my life and such a block to stepping forward into the life that my partner and I hope for, that I decided to reach out and ask for help.

If you cannot contribute even a small amount to this, I have all the love in the world for the fact that you just finished reading my story, and I hope you will consider sharing the link to this request with your friends and family.  It is extremely hard to ask for help when it is so easy to feel guilty for not making things work, but I am so grateful for the support I have received in deciding to ask for this assistance.