In one moment, everything changed.
I was driving home from work after caring for patients as a traveling respiratory therapist when my life was turned upside down. A semi-truck hit me on the highway and kept going. The driver never stopped. My vehicle was completely totaled, and although insurance helped cover the loss of my car, it could not erase what the accident did to my body, my livelihood, and my family’s sense of stability.
I am a mother of four young children, and I am the one they depend on. I have always worked hard to make sure my children are safe, cared for, and provided for. No matter how tired I was, no matter how heavy life became, I kept going because that is what mothers do. But this accident brought a storm into our lives that I could not simply push through on my own.
After the crash, I began losing feeling in my left arm and hand. I had pain shooting through my neck and upper back that only got worse with time. Still, because I am the sole provider for my children, I tried to keep going. I endured the pain and numbness for months, hoping it would improve, because missing work was not something I could afford.
But the pain became unbearable.
When I finally saw a doctor and had an MRI, I learned the truth. My cervical spine had been seriously damaged, and the nerve controlling my left arm and hand was being crushed. I had no choice but to undergo surgery immediately. By grace, the surgery was successful, and I am deeply thankful to still be here and on the road to healing.
Now I am four weeks into recovery, and I still cannot return to work for at least two more months. Unfortunately since I’m a traveling Respiratory Therapist I am unable to receive short or long term disability.
As a traveling respiratory therapist, if I cannot work, I do not get paid. There is no safety net carrying my family through this season. Meanwhile, the bills have not stopped. Rent still has to be paid. Utilities still have to stay on. Groceries still have to be bought. My children still need stability, love, and care every single day.
I am raising four young children. Two are my biological children. One of my children I recently adopted after being her foster mother for the past three years. Another child came into my care through legal guardianship last year after I had also fostered for the past three years. These children are my heart. They are the reason I keep fighting, even on the hardest days.
I have reached out to resources in my local community, hoping for some kind of support, but I have not been able to receive assistance. That has left me carrying the weight of recovery while also trying to figure out how to keep a roof over our heads and food on the table.
It is hard to describe what that feels like. Healing is already a battle on its own. Trying to heal while living under the fear of losing financial stability is a burden no mother ever wants to place on her children. Right now, I am doing everything I can to stay strong for them, but I cannot do this alone.
I am humbly asking for help to get my family through this chapter.
Any donation, no matter the amount, will go toward:
- Rent and housing expenses
- Utilities
- Groceries and household essentials
- Transportation needs
- Daily care for my children while I recover
If you are unable to donate, sharing my story would mean just as much. Every share helps widen the circle. Every prayer matters. Every act of kindness helps lift a little of the weight my family is carrying right now.
I have spent my life helping others breathe easier in some of their hardest moments. Today, I am the one asking for help to breathe through mine.
Thank you for reading, for caring, and for helping my children and me hold on until I can get back on my feet.
