Medical & Residential Emergency
Donation protected
Hello.
My name is Justina, I'm 19 years old and I am a Lithuanian immigrant in Belgium. I’d like to ask for your help in improving my mental and physical health and solving an urgent residential issue.
In August of 2014 I moved here to live with my father, to study in a better environment. What I found out after coming here was that they invited me to come here, only to get more money from the government, whereas I was expected to pay for myself completely. On top of that, my father and his wife had heavy alcohol issues that they denied before I came here. After a few months of living there, I wasn’t allowed to eat, shower nor stay at home until they went to sleep. This went on from January up until June. I was already suffering from depression, and had been for a few years, and all of this made it much worse. I tried seeking help from the Belgian government, but the risk of being deported back to Lithuania was far too big, so I had to find a way out of the situation myself. I was also determined to stay, because I spent the whole year learning the language and managed to finish the OKAN (a welcoming class for immigrants without a proficiency in Dutch) with the highest grades out of entire school.
Two of my friends helped me move out to another city with a promise to pay them back eventually, but my health got much worse after a year of no medical supervision, daily stress, and months of not being able to eat or sleep properly. At school, I was put in a very high grade for an immigrant, so I couldn’t really find a proper job as I had to study over 6 hours daily to keep up with the pace. Eventually, in December, I got very sick. I couldn’t come back to school until February. At that point, I had missed way too much and I was forced to quit. The shock of not being able to continue and constantly being ill has worsened my mental health even more. I tried to find a job, but I was constantly sick and it eventually became impossible for me to work.
After a year of not being able to pay the people whom had accepted me, I was forced to leave once again. I had a serious mental breakdown and was taken to a psychiatric hospital. I was technically homeless, so I had no choice but to stay there for 2 months. During all that time, I didn’t have a single conversation with a psychiatrist, nor did I receive any therapy at all. Only a few isolated talks with a psychologist who suggested that apart from my depression, I also have borderline and/or attachment disorder. Despite receiving barely any help at all, I still must pay a huge bill that I couldn’t afford up until now. After a few weeks of conversation with my former flatmates, I was allowed to come back, albeit temporarily. I tried finding a job, ever since July, but only in December was I able to find a temporary one. All this time my mental and physical health were only getting worse, and now I am once again, forced to move out. On top of that, I even need to compensate for the time that I’ve stayed here since December. Coming back to Lithuania isn’t possible because of my parents’ aggressive attitude towards me (partly because of my sexuality) and because of the country’s state, in general.
Before coming to Belgium, I was already diagnosed with chronic gastritis, chronic pancreatitis, a tumour in my thyroid, chronic stomach ulcer, chronic sinusitis (I even had a surgery done for that), cardiac arrhythmia and depression. When I came to Belgium, I was also diagnosed with irritable bowel syndrome, borderline and attachment disorder. Most of my physical conditions require to be checked once every 3 months, in the least. I haven’t been able to check them properly for more than 2 and a half years, and just a week ago, my doctor prescribed me an MRI brain scan. I also had to call an ambulance once in a critical state which costs money in Belgium. I’ve had a serious cold for more than 2 weeks, and I cannot afford any medicine even for that. A recent issue that has arisen, is that I have an aching hole in a tooth, but it’s unspeakable to even think of visiting a dentist to figure that out, considering the costs. I’ve also been in dire need to see a psychiatrist for a pretty long time, but all of them cost way too much. I’ve been uncontrollably losing weight for a few months. I can barely afford food; we’re talking far from a proper meal a day. I’ve been lucky to live with people kind enough to pay for my nutrition and rent during all this time, but unfortunately, I am forced to move out and am about to become homeless once again.
Approximate costs:
Ambulance: €140
Hospital: €517,55
MRI: €200
Psychiatrist: €400
Dentist: €200
Medicine: €100
Moving costs: €1300
Further medical expenses: €140
It would make not only my day, but my life, if you could kindly help me. Even small donations are appreciated, as everything counts.
My name is Justina, I'm 19 years old and I am a Lithuanian immigrant in Belgium. I’d like to ask for your help in improving my mental and physical health and solving an urgent residential issue.
In August of 2014 I moved here to live with my father, to study in a better environment. What I found out after coming here was that they invited me to come here, only to get more money from the government, whereas I was expected to pay for myself completely. On top of that, my father and his wife had heavy alcohol issues that they denied before I came here. After a few months of living there, I wasn’t allowed to eat, shower nor stay at home until they went to sleep. This went on from January up until June. I was already suffering from depression, and had been for a few years, and all of this made it much worse. I tried seeking help from the Belgian government, but the risk of being deported back to Lithuania was far too big, so I had to find a way out of the situation myself. I was also determined to stay, because I spent the whole year learning the language and managed to finish the OKAN (a welcoming class for immigrants without a proficiency in Dutch) with the highest grades out of entire school.
Two of my friends helped me move out to another city with a promise to pay them back eventually, but my health got much worse after a year of no medical supervision, daily stress, and months of not being able to eat or sleep properly. At school, I was put in a very high grade for an immigrant, so I couldn’t really find a proper job as I had to study over 6 hours daily to keep up with the pace. Eventually, in December, I got very sick. I couldn’t come back to school until February. At that point, I had missed way too much and I was forced to quit. The shock of not being able to continue and constantly being ill has worsened my mental health even more. I tried to find a job, but I was constantly sick and it eventually became impossible for me to work.
After a year of not being able to pay the people whom had accepted me, I was forced to leave once again. I had a serious mental breakdown and was taken to a psychiatric hospital. I was technically homeless, so I had no choice but to stay there for 2 months. During all that time, I didn’t have a single conversation with a psychiatrist, nor did I receive any therapy at all. Only a few isolated talks with a psychologist who suggested that apart from my depression, I also have borderline and/or attachment disorder. Despite receiving barely any help at all, I still must pay a huge bill that I couldn’t afford up until now. After a few weeks of conversation with my former flatmates, I was allowed to come back, albeit temporarily. I tried finding a job, ever since July, but only in December was I able to find a temporary one. All this time my mental and physical health were only getting worse, and now I am once again, forced to move out. On top of that, I even need to compensate for the time that I’ve stayed here since December. Coming back to Lithuania isn’t possible because of my parents’ aggressive attitude towards me (partly because of my sexuality) and because of the country’s state, in general.
Before coming to Belgium, I was already diagnosed with chronic gastritis, chronic pancreatitis, a tumour in my thyroid, chronic stomach ulcer, chronic sinusitis (I even had a surgery done for that), cardiac arrhythmia and depression. When I came to Belgium, I was also diagnosed with irritable bowel syndrome, borderline and attachment disorder. Most of my physical conditions require to be checked once every 3 months, in the least. I haven’t been able to check them properly for more than 2 and a half years, and just a week ago, my doctor prescribed me an MRI brain scan. I also had to call an ambulance once in a critical state which costs money in Belgium. I’ve had a serious cold for more than 2 weeks, and I cannot afford any medicine even for that. A recent issue that has arisen, is that I have an aching hole in a tooth, but it’s unspeakable to even think of visiting a dentist to figure that out, considering the costs. I’ve also been in dire need to see a psychiatrist for a pretty long time, but all of them cost way too much. I’ve been uncontrollably losing weight for a few months. I can barely afford food; we’re talking far from a proper meal a day. I’ve been lucky to live with people kind enough to pay for my nutrition and rent during all this time, but unfortunately, I am forced to move out and am about to become homeless once again.
Approximate costs:
Ambulance: €140
Hospital: €517,55
MRI: €200
Psychiatrist: €400
Dentist: €200
Medicine: €100
Moving costs: €1300
Further medical expenses: €140
It would make not only my day, but my life, if you could kindly help me. Even small donations are appreciated, as everything counts.
Organizer
Justina Rudytė
Organizer
Schoten, VLG, Belgium
