I have been a hairstylist for 28 years. I owned my own salon for 16 years. I have always been an overacheiver and successful. I was involved in a car accident 6 months ago. I have suffered severe spinal cord, disc and nerve damage. I have no health insurance because I am a breast cancer survivor and noone will take me. I couldn't afford it anyway! I have never asked for help. I have always been the one helping other people. I am waiting on surgery, but vehicle insurance is 3rd party and no surgeon will even see me without paying cash upfront. My surgery is 80K and I have 125k worth of coverage on my car insurance, but they won't even consider it. I almost lost my house last month, 2 days before going into foreclosure. I had to use an insurance check to repair my vehicle to save my home, so I will have to pay out of pocket to get it repaired, but that is the least of my worries.
We have to scrape change to buy toilet paper. I had given all my extra food to a girl with 3 children who had no food. Now, we have been eating rice and beans. I have no means of qualifying for assistance, they say we make too much money, though we are always getting our utilites cut off and can't cover the mortgage. We are trying to sell one of our vehicles to get rid of the payment.
I had money set back and investments from working so hard my whole life and 2 years ago started a company that was supposed to be fail proof and was lied to and scammed out of 80k in a week and a half. I worked so hard at rebuilding my life, but this situation is completely out of my control. I am at such a high risk for paralysis, they told me simply moving the wrong way will paralyze me from the neck down. I was told there is no medical explanation as to why I am not paralyzed. Last Sunday, I experienced my first bout of what unfortuantedly is a step in the wrong direction due to my injury. I ended up in the hospital with partial paralasys from my chest up. I could not move my arms, hands, could not expand my chest to breath and my neck caved in and my entire face and throat went completely numb. I was barely able to speak. I sounded very drunk.....I don't drink! I was so scared, I thought this was it, but with prayer, it gradually went away. I try not to live in fear of it happening again, or going all the way.
We have always helped other people and always believed in what goes around comes around, but it just isn't there. I feel guilty even writing this because I know there are so many people in my situation or worse. I know that when I do have my surgery, I will get my life back and can work, again, on rebuilding. I am a survivor, I know it will eventually happen, then I can help people like my husband and myself who are in complete dire straits. My husband is self-employed as well and is working at home to be near me just incase, God forbid, 'it' happens. He works in paintless dent repair, which is seasonal. So if anyone out there needs hail damage repair, or door dings, please send them our way.
My husband feel like he has failed me and I feel like I have failed him. We don't want to lose our home or vehicles, it is all we have left. I would love for someone to find it in their hearts to assist in any way possible to help pay our bills and possibly some groceries. My daughter is just going to have to understand times are tough. I don't let her know our situation because I don't want to worry her, she is pregnant with my first grandbaby and is high risk, so no stress goes her way on my end. It breaks my heart, because we have never NOT had a wonderful Christmas, ever.
Anything, any little bit, will help us.
God Bless and I hope YOU have a VERY Merry Christmas.
Angie
p.s. Those of you in similar situations, keep the faith, read your bible and think positive. And remember if someone helps you out of your situation, when you are able, never forget, pay it forward. Give back. If you are able physically, volunteer, it is good for the soul and you will see there are still ALOT of people out there who are worse off than we are. There is a light at the end of the tunnel, just keep pushin! Find it in you to smile and find goodness in the small things, it helps.
