I am 34 and have a wife of 12 years and 2 children, one of whom is autistic.
Until my mid-twenties, I was a very healthy, active individual. Basketball, martial arts, running, weight-lifting, and a physically demanding job (which I loved) where I was active outside in all weather conditions all day.
10 years ago, a problem appeared with my immune system and it is generally weak now. I frequently get difficult respiratory illnesses that can have me completely out of commission for 2 weeks at a time. This was manageable by itself as my employer was understanding, but through the next 2 medical difficulties, it has become quite an added burden.
8 years ago, I contracted spinal meningitis. I almost died. Between the hospitalization, long bedrest, and longer overall recovery period, I was out of work for almost a year. (My job fired me because I was out so long.)
When my health returned, I decided to start fixing computers. (We were in a larger city – Nashville TN.) I had always wanted to do that and had trouble finding a job so I put some ads on Craigslist and gave it a shot. It actually went pretty well. I made nearly 30k/year, which was a few thousand more than my previous job.
5 years ago, the big one hit. While on Christmas vacation with family in NY, I suddenly had 3 seizures. The cause of the seizures is still unknown, but they left me with long-term heart and brain complications. I was 100% bedridden for 4 months, wheelchair-bound for 4 more, and then moving slowly on my feet for several more. The symptoms I experienced during that year were quite unbearable. I won’t overdramatize, but between the cardio and neurological difficulties I was experiencing, much of that year could arguably be categorized as torture.
At the end of that year, we moved to a very small town in the midwest where we had family available to help us. Over the last 4 years, the heart and brain difficulties (combined with my immune system problems) have been a roller coaster. Some days, I am totally bedridden. Some days, I feel almost normal. Most days are somewhere in-between. The problem is I am completely unreliable and therefore unemployable. Every day is different and I’d have to call out more than half the week, every week. I have continued to fix computers and earn around $20k/year doing so. This is not quite enough, even in our cheap living arrangement. Because of medical complications and costs they’ve incurred, many times as a result of missing work, we have found ourselves in $30k debt.
Our monthly bills are $600 and the debt minimum payment is $700. Without the debt, things would be much more manageable, but I simply don’t make enough to get us through the frequent medical hiccups.
As you can imagine, I have exhaustively looked into other things I could do to make money, but most things either require money to start or require reasonably consistent health. Last year, I hatched an idea. I wrote a first-of-its-kind book that will potentially help many women and children find provision in poorer international societies. I worked very hard on it all year. I also wrote a collection of stories alongside it. This is the biggest thing I have ever done as it required a ton of research. The books are now published. Long story short, I would like to get into book publishing. I have already begun working on other things to publish. Book publishing is something I can do from anywhere and even when I’m bedridden, which is often. I have already seen the small beginnings of success, but there is much more work to do. So, I have not been sitting idly, just moping and hoping. I think I really found something I can make a living with.
The problem? I have been so sick this year that I’ve only worked a handful of days. We can’t even pay our $600 of monthly bills, never mind the $700 debt payment.
Here’s what we need – $30k to pay off the debt. $6k to cover the rest of this year’s bills. I will stop doing computer repair and devote the year to making the book publishing happen, which I believe will sustain us from next year forward.
Here’s what I could also use – $4k to help the book publishing endeavor. It costs around $1,300 to publish each book and I have 8 planned. That would help me get started with the 3 best prospects and then they should pull income from there.
My wife, children, and I have spent a lot of our lives dealing with my medical catastrophes and the financial complications that come with them. My wife has stayed with me through it all. She homeschools the girls and does so marvelously. We live in the middle of nowhere with no real work opportunities but as you’ve seen, living here is extremely cheap. After years and years of this, I am finally asking for help. (My doctor recommended disability, which I had never thought of. I applied and fought for it for two years, but they ultimately denied me because my issues are not officially diagnosed.)
I realize that we are not the most desperate case in the world, but we are potentially on the verge of homelessness at our current rate this year, which is something I would likely not survive in my condition. Please also keep in mind our special needs daughter. Anything helps.
https://www.paypal.biz/bfamchurch