Hello!

My name is Ollie, I’m 23 years old, and I’m transgender.

I was born a female and lived most of my life as such, my childhood wasn’t exactly the best and it’s taken me a long time to learn how to be myself.

I need your help, and I wouldn’t ask if there was another way, I’ve been saving my own money and even created a shop to try and make it possible to have the body I’ve always known was mine.

I need $8,950.00 in order to get top surgery, a procedure that would change my life forever. I’ve applied for medical loans, loans through my bank, credit cards. I wont get approved because I lost my job from COVID-19 so despite being so close to the surgeon I can go to, and having the support to recover, I’m unable to pursue surgery.

Please, if there is anything that you can spare to help, I will be forever grateful.

Follow my journey on Instagram @FinnsOK

Thank you,

Ollie

paypal.me/Olliejonas

Hello, my name is Alaina and I am in desperate need of assistance with a medical bill that has been looming over my head for a while now. Instead of flooding you with a wall of text upfront, I have included a detailed explanation on the background of my situation at the end of this post.

In March of 2019, I needed to have a nerve burning procedure performed on my lower back to help treat my severe chronic back pain. Although my HMO insurance plan paid for a portion of the procedure, I still owe my orthopedic surgeon’s office $508.43 (as shown in the bill attached to this post). Unfortunately, these nerve burning procedures are only temporary fixes and need to be re-done every 6-12 months. I am severely overdue for a follow-up procedure; however, my orthopedist office refuses to schedule another nerve burning until the outstanding balance I owe is paid in full.

As stated at the beginning of this post, I am in desperate need to raise the $508.43 to pay this current medical bill off and so that I can finally schedule a follow up nerve burning procedure. I have tried to take out a personal loan with multiple banks/lending agencies to cover my expenses but was denied due to the high amount of student loan debt I have accrued over the years. 

My only choice now is to turn to the internet community and hope that someone out there will hear my prayers and come to my rescue.

I’m a high school mathematics teacher and am highly educated. I have a Bachelor of Science (B.S.) in Mathematics and a Master of Education (M.Ed) in Curriculum & Instruction. I’ve been teaching full time for over 10 years now, so I am clearly not some bum begging for money. I am just a humble teacher looking for a little assistance so that I can continue working in the classroom and help educate this next generation.

Now that I have laid out the gist of my predicament, let me give some more background to my situation. I have been struggling with crippling lower back pain since I was a teenager that went mistreated for over a decade. My primary care physician – that I had been seeing since I was a toddler – kept brushing my pain off as merely a muscle spasm or a bladder infection. It wasn’t until 2016, when my back went out completely to the point that I had to go to the emergency room and was immobile for days, that I finally had a doctor take my pain seriously and refer me to a neurosurgeon.

Through a series of MRIs, x-rays, and nerve studies the neurosurgeon discovered that I had developed three degenerated discs in my lower spinal (L3, L4, and L5) that were at the point of collapsing (I can provide digital copies of my MRI images as proof if need be) and these discs were beginning to clamp down on my spinal cord, causing weakness and loss of sensation in my hands and the right side of my body.

Unfortunately the neurosurgeon’s only solution for curing my pain was to perform major spinal surgery to replace the damaged discs, which was not something I was willing to go through due to me being a school teacher and not having the 3-4 month downtime that would be necessary to recover from such a surgery, as well as me simply not having the $10k+ it would take to pay for the surgery. And, on top of that, because of my age (I am 28 years old as of the day of me posting this) most pain doctors were hesitant to prescribe anything stronger than Tylenol to someone so young. Which means I don’t even have any type of prescription strength pain medication/muscle relaxers to help me deal with the pain that is caused by my spinal malformations.

In February 2019, I decided to get a second opinion and visit an orthopedic surgeon instead of a neurosurgeon. My orthopedist recommended nerve burning as a temporary alternative to major back surgery. However, before I could get approved for the actual nerve burning, my insurance company required me to undergo two more preliminary nerve blocker studies to prove that I “really needed” to have the nerve burning procedure done.

I had to use all of my life saving to pay for the nerve blockers and then ended up borrowing an additional $400 from a relative to cover the upfront copay for the final nerve burring procedure. Thankfully, after months of jumping through hoops, I was able to get my nerve burning produce in March of 2019 with outstanding results. It truly was a miracle procedure that changed my life.

Unfortunately, now that it’s June 2020 (almost 15 months later) the pain in my lower back is starting to return and I am again in desperate need of another nerve burning procedure.

So please, if you can find it in your heart to hear my pleas, I would really appreciate it if you could help me out. Again, I am a highly educated person that that currently teaches Trigonometry, Precalculus, and AP Calculus AB at the high school level. I can also provide proof of my degrees, credentials, and even my CV/resume to prove that I am a legitimate person; not just some scammer/bum begging for money on the internet

If you have made it this far, thank you for taking the time to read my call for help. I appreciate any assistance that you are willing offer. I won’t even pretend like I’ll ever be able to repay you anytime soon, but your donation will not be wasted, and I would be more than willing to provide a receipt of payment.

I would like to thank everyone for taking the time to read my request.  Please bear with me as this is a long post.  It covers many years.  I realize that people would like a short explanation of why we need help but it took some years to get to this point.    The only reason I am asking for help is that we are at our wit’s end.  We have used all our savings and are now living paycheck to paycheck and that isn’t enough.

If you would like a short version, then because of a job loss and cancer we are in over our heads.  There does not seem to be any light at the end of the tunnel.

Here is the long detailed version.

I will try to explain this in chronological order.

In 2014  I was a stay at home wife until October.  I have always worked a full-time job but was laid off.  Since we were doing fine financially I was able to take a year off.  At that time my husband was working for a private security company.  The owners eventually sold the company and Rick was laid off.  The same day he was laid off, I got a job offer to become a senior caregiver.  I  loving this job.  It took me 56 years to find my calling.  I love working with the elderly and find it very fulfilling.

This same year one of my nephews became homeless so we let him move in with us.  He is mentally ill and has 3 diagnoses.  The hardest one to deal with is the Border Line Personality Disorder.  People who suffer from this have a fear of being abandoned, so they will lie and try to manipulate you, thinking they will be able to keep you near them.  They don’t realize that this very behavior is what actually pushes you away.  He lived with us for 7 months.  Since I was the only one working at the time plus dealing with my nephew it was a very stressful time.

It took my husband a year to find a job.   He now works for a realtor company, managing HOA’s.  (Yes, he is the one people hate)  Unfortunately, he had to take a large pay cut.   During all this, we somehow managed to struggle along.

In April of 2017  my sister went into hospice care.  She had been fighting colon cancer for 5 years. Early on it had metastasized to her liver.  It was a true miracle that she survived this long.  That May my client Gloria passed away.  It was heartbreaking.  I spent most of June and July traveling from Virginia to Pennsylvania to visit and help take care of my sister.  Then at the end of July I fell down the steps at home and broke my right wrist.  On August 9th my sister passed away.  It was not a good summer.

On November 7th, 2017 Rick was diagnosed with colon cancer.  We had to face this just 3 short months after my sister had died.  In December of 2017 he had surgery to remove the mass in his colon.  Because of what my sister went through I insisted we see an oncologist after the surgery.   What Rick decided to do was his choice but I wanted a second opinion.  The oncologist, Dr. Marsh had Rick do 6 months of oral chemo.  Doing so with the hopes of keeping his cancer from returning.  Unfortunately, it did not work.  This past November  (2019)  we found out that Rick’s cancer has metastasized to his liver.     I feel as if I have been living a nightmare these past 3 years.  Reliving exactly what my sister went through.

In 2018 I started working 2 jobs.  Monday through Fridays I  work for a family during the day.  The second job I worked on was Friday, Saturday & Sundays, overnight.  The only downside to being self-employed is that I have no benefits.  If I take a day off I don’t get paid.  I also do not receive holiday pay,  sick time, or vacation time.  My health insurance is through Rick’s job.  Since I was working approximately 60 hours a week our finances were not too bad (or so I thought).  In October 2019 the position I worked overnight ended.  The family decided to place their mother into an assisted living facility.  This turned out to be a big blow to our budget.  I was working 32 hours and losing that income has been a HUGH  hardship. Since then I have been unable to find another job that fits in with my current hours.

In December 2019 we meet with Dr. Marsh and the surgeon, Dr. Shaver.  They decided to have Rick do regular chemo (not oral) for 4 treatments, one treatment every other week, to shrink the tumor. To do this they had to put a port in his shoulder.  Unfortunately the tumor did not shrink as much as they hoped it would.  Regardless they decided to do the surgery.  Back in February after his 4th chemo treatment,  his port got infected & he ended up being admitted to the hospital for 4 days. They had to remove his port.  He was scheduled to have the tumor removed in March.  I was terrified that the surgery would be postponed because of the Covid19 virus.  God was looking out for us, & the surgery went ahead as scheduled.  Dr. Marsh decided not to replace the Port but to put a PICC Line in his arm.  That way if there is a problem with it they could deal with it in his office & would not have to hospitalize Rick to have it removed.  The PICC Line involves a lot of care. It can not get wet, it needs to be flushed every day so that he does not develop blood clots. Plus he has to see a nurse weekly to have the area cleaned and a new dressing put on.

So far Rick has tolerated the chemo fairly well.  The side effects have been tolerable.  He has some neuropathy in his feet, he has lost his fingerprints because of the side effect of Hand, Foot & Mouth Syndrome. He is very sensitive to cold.  He is unable to tolerate ice in his drinks & usually drinks his water warm.  I am usually the cold one but now he is the one who is bundled up wearing sweats to stay warm. He is not losing his hair, but it is thinning. He has gone on a diet eating less meat and more veggies.  This is a diet to help him lose weight and to help keep him healthy.

We have been fortunate that he has not had to miss too much work during all of this.  This is another worry for me because his job does not offer any type of disability insurance. No short term or long term disability.  So if he uses up his sick / vacation leave and has to take more time off we are really out of luck.

 

Because of everything that has been happening these past few years, we are deeply in debt.  Our credit is horrible.  We are playing Russian Roulette when it comes to paying the bills.  Nothing seems to get paid on time. I am terrified that we may end up losing our home.

I am currently on 2 antidepressants.  I have trouble sleeping.  I seem to only eat junk food because it is easier than cooking real food.

It has been a very difficult time.  Especially since last November.  I have been scared to death of losing Rick, our insurance if he can’t work, our home.  I have had to show a brave face to the world, especially to Rick.  I try to be very supportive of him and not let my negative thinking show to him.  He needs all the support and happiness I can give him.  I can’t sleep, my eating habits are horrible.  And with the Covid19 virus going on, the stay at home order is just isolating us more.  During the week I associate with 5 people.  The people I work for and Rick.  This isolation is making me feel even worse.  I have to be doubly careful when food shopping.  Both for Rick and the gentleman I care for.  I am depressed but I am trying to not let it win.

I am in the process of setting up a much stricter budget to help get us out of this hole. Cutting corners where ever I can. We have no savings left. I now wash the dishes by hand to save on the electric bill. We cut off the heat in the house in March.  We are buying cheaper dog food.

Your donation would help us tremendously. Even if it is only a little anything would be appreciated.  If you can find it in your heart to help us I would be forever grateful.  I am asking for help to ease our situation.  We are so far in debt I don’t even know how to put a number on what we need.  Last I looked we have over $60,000 in debt.  Any and all help would be greatly appreciated.

I crochet and if you would like I am willing to crochet you a nice winter hat, or a scarf, or a shawl or a baby blanket as a thank you for helping us.  I can send you pictures of my work if you are interested.

Thank you again for taking the time to read my letter.

www.paypal.me/angielou44

 

   Hello there. My name is Shiloh. In 2019 I was involved in a terrible break up that led to me being shot in the chest. My ex then left me to fend for myself. With a dead phone I headed out of the house to seek help when knocking on doors did nothing I switched to breaking windows to alert people and force police to be called to the scene. (I’m not in trouble for these actions. The apartments did not press charges as they were seen life saving) This helped me find a first responder who didn’t mind getting messy in order to keep me alive. The .380 Hollow point hit my gall bladder on impact and destroyed it. 1/3 of my liver was also damaged and it pierced my kidney. Bullet shrapnel rest in my lower back today. Breaking the windows in order to get help sliced my arms and hands up pretty severely they have healed but left behind their scars. I also have a zipper scar on my belly where the doctors opened me up. People ask me why they left the shrapnel in but I really don’t know and I never asked. They did open me several times tho and perhaps they thought my body had enough trauma. It affects my day to day work but I manage just fine. After I got out of the hospital I wouldn’t leave my room til 2019, be active, or have a life dream.

In 2019 I decided I wasn’t getting any younger and HAD to do something with my life. I decided to go to a local welding school. It paid off because my teachers taught me to believe in myself again. I graduated in December of 2019 and I’m currently in a paid apprenticeship.

I’m by no means a victim. However I am a victim of debt. Medical debt. School debt. I’m here asking for help with these bills and collections. I’m slowly pecking away at my debt trying to fix my credit. My hospital bill was 100,000$ give or take. I have 20,000$ in collections with more sure to find there way their and 10,000$ in school debt.

200,000$ would help me get back on my feet and fix my credit. I would use the left over money to financially secure myself and my savings and have the shrapnel removed from my back and regularly see a therapist to work thru the flashbacks and thoughts from the ptsd.

https://www.paypal.me/shymaej

 

Hello and thank you for taking the time to read this. My mother was hospitalized for 6 weeks because of a stroke. Medicare covered a large portion of the hospital and doctor bills but I still had to pay a significant amount plus her funeral and final expenses after she passed. My only recourse was credit cards. Over $20,000. Currently over $16,000 is still owed.

I have been paying it down steadily but slowly. Now I have had a reduction in income because I am an hourly employee and the primary company I work for is shut down for the time being. I am seeking help to, at a minimum, bring the total owed on my credit cards down to a more manageable level as part of a larger plan to avoid financial ruin. I was struggling with my core bills even before this shutdown because of a previous reduction in income but couldn’t bring myself to ask for help. I know many are suffering right now but anything will help tremendously and would be greatly appreciated. I have set a goal for $10,000.

Thank you in advance.

paypal.me/charlie9701

Hello kind people,

    I feel so bad asking for help, but I have fallen into a financial perfect storm and won’t be able to stay afloat long without help.

    I have two very sweet boys, ages 1 and 3 that are my world. When my oldest was born I did not have good insurance coverage and used a credit card to cover my prenatal and labor expenses. I put the money for that into a balance transfer that would have 0% interest for a year thinking I would pay it off quickly when I returned to work. However when I went back to work I choose an at home daycare for my son (it had come highly recommended by a friend and the woman seemed very nice). After the first day my son would get hysterical whenever I dropped him off. Within a week he developed a diaper rash so sever he needed a prescription. I decided to go pick him up early one day (unannounced) and walked in to find that the lady watching him was just strapping him into a car seat and leaving him unattended in a bedroom upstairs to cry while I was at work. I was furious and heartbroken and felt like a complete failure as a mom for allowing this to happen to my sweet baby. I dropped down to a lighter work schedule and had a part time working mom friend that we would take turns watching each others kids. I took my son to work with me when I could and filled in with a babysitter when I needed to. This left virtually nothing to pay towards the money I had borrowed. I cut cost where I could (used cloth diapers, became diligent about coupons and got rid of tv/internet), I started doing online sales too, but it didn’t make much of a dent. After I had my second little guy more medical debt and daily expenses piled on and the interest kept compounding.

    The additional complicating factor is my work itself. I work primarily in home healthcare with children with developmental delays. I adore my work and the children I help, but because I’m an independent contractor, I have no benefits or sick leave. If I am sick, my kids are sick, or the kids I work with call out sick I don’t get paid. That makes it especially tough this time of year. Several of my home health kids are immunocompromised, so I cannot go see them if I am sick at all. I am able to fill in with some hospital shifts to supplement my income when I have consistent child care and there are shifts available to pick up.

   I have now found a good daycare/preschool for both boys where they will be well cared for, allowing me to finally pick up some more consistent hours at work, but it is expensive. My older son has started going there and my younger son starts in 2 weeks when they have a spot open for him. I have no idea how I’m going to afford both the child care payments and pay down my debt. The interest keeps compounding and now it’s over $15,000 ($15,310.93 as of today) which is more than my car is even worth. It keeps me up at night with worry and I don’t know what else to do. It’s so much money and any amount would help. I know if I can get that paid off, I could get back on my feet. I’m sorry this is so lengthy, but thank you so much for even considering helping. Any kindness will be paid forward as soon as I am able.

Blessings,

Kate

Here is a picture of my sweet boys as well as screen shots of the amounts I owe. Thank you for any help. Here is also a link to my PayPal pool https://paypal.me/pools/c/8nkeHGyb2Y