Legally Blind Single Mother Needs Your Help To Pay Bills

I will be as brief as possible in sharing the last four years that led up to today’s cry for help.  

I have always worked hard, paid my bills and taxes, am a model citizen, never had a traffic ticket when I drove, never in trouble with the law, am a devoted mother, daughter, sister and friend and give my all to my family. My life was going along fine until I became ill with spinal meningitis on June 14^th of 2003. One month later, it was discovered that the virus had spread from my brain through the optic nerve in both eyes to the retina.  The retina is considered the film of the eye the same as there is film in a camera.  Without the film, there is no picture. The virus destroyed part of the retina in both eyes. I was rushed to Bascom Palmer Eye Institute in Miami Florida for laser surgery and a one week IV treatment to save what was left of my eyesight. I am now legally blind in both eyes.

Here I am four years later still recovering and fighting my battle to have some type of normal life.

After numerous injections in the eyes and the withdrawal of fluid from the eyes for testing, I didn’t think I could endure another hurdle. I was wrong; I became adrenal insufficient due to the long term steroid use to treat my failing eyesight. This is considered a terminal disease which requires the use of life long steroid replacement therapy. Long term steroid use causes an array of problems. I have developed cataracts in both eyes, bone necrosis in both knees, and osteoporosis to name a few. There are many other disorders I have not developed such as diabetes and lymphoma. I am grateful for that.

Now, getting to the financial aspect of what happened. I could no longer work when I lost my vision completely and had to quit my job with the government. I loved my job and looked forward to going to work everyday. I was good at it and loved helping others. I could not afford the cobra insurance so I have been uninsured since I left work in October of 2005. I have been waiting the 2 and ½ year wait for Medicare coverage. I was approved for Social Security Disability Insurance when I was no longer working. The money I get from SSDI and Child Support is too much to be eligible for Medicaid Insurance.  I am lucky to get both but with prescription costs of over $1,500 per month there is not much left over for everything else.

My Income is too high for any public assistance or food stamps.

I own my home but had to refinance it earlier this year to help my son who is in college, pay off some medical bills and help my teenager daughter get a car so she could go to work. I have to pay for all of my doctor visits (I have a team of 5 physicians), all of my medications and lab work. I have done without many of my medications because I just can’t afford them. One is over $600.00 per month.  My doctors have been great.  They charge me reduced rates all the time and give me samples of medications when they have them.  But there is only so much they can do. 

I have my home up for sale, which is breaking my heart but it has become too expensive. I doubt I will make anything on the sale; I am just trying to get out from a possible foreclosure. Then I guess my daughter and I will live somewhere here in town. If I loose the house to foreclosure, then I will have no money to rent a new place to live. We may have to live in her car for a while. This will be hard to do but we may have no other choice.

If you could help me financially, I will be eternally grateful and promise to pass on the generosity to someone else one day.

My dream is to pay off my $145,000 mortgage, or get the payments caught up and back on track, pay off the few bills I have so that I can survive month to month, stay in my home, stay healthy, afford my medications and medical care. My daughter would also be able to stay in school.

This is a true story and you can verify each and every statement. I have asked my family and friends to help me but none of them are in a position to help me.

I just don’t know what else to do but ask for help from strangers. Please consider helping me and my daughter out of this mess. I know you have worked hard for your money but if you are in a position to make a donation to help someone less fortunate, please let it be me.

If you read this and just want to make rude and abusive comments, please don't.  I do not respond to these types of comments.  They will be deleted.  My understanding is that this is a website of people trying to help each other, not cut each other down and make judgements and nasty remarks.  If you have helpful comments or ideas of how I can help myself, send them to me.  I have a family member who helps me do this web search for help. 

I know that there are always others  much worse off than myself and i wish that i could help them, but that does not dismiss the fact that I also need help.  Thank you so much for taking the time to read my story, I know you must get lots of cries for help.  This is an honest one, I promise you.

Sincerely,

dbradfordv@bellsouth.net