... hello friends ... I almost never share personal troubles, but, I find myself writing to you all from a place of desperation with humility and damaged pride ... I need help ... for the better part of a year and half I have been living with extreme crippling osteoarthritis in both knees ... I have seen 2 surgeons who told me I will need a bi-lateral knee replacement to walk again ... both surgeons were reluctant to perfom the operation ... due to other health concerns (high BP & acute Asthma among other things) they seem to think I wouldn't survive the operation ... even though I told them I would sign waivers and roll the dice ...
... I was forced to take a disability leave of absence from my job ... as walking was too painful ... and I could no longer carry anything heavy ... therefore unable to perform my duties ... I lived on half pay and an insurance payout ... the half pay ended in Nov of '22, along with my medical coverage ... in April of this year the insurance payouts stopped ...
... at the same time NYS let me go ... as they could no longer keep my job available ... with no income and my savings gone ... I have been on emergency assistance ... it covers food and some non food items ...
... my rent fell into arrears ... and in June my car was repossessed ... also at that time walking became more difficult... even with a cane ... and I am no longer able to manage stairs ... I can walk 6-10 steps then I must sit and rest ... and getting up again poses a problem ... and so I haven't left my home since then ...
... my landlord's office has been patient as I wait to be approved for disability ... but, its been 6 months ... some friends, who know my situation, have shown kindness and helped me keep on my wifi & phone the past several months (I live in a very remote area in upstate NY ... and these are essentials) but, now the landlord has begun the eviction process again ... with winter around the corner and me not able to walk in the best of weather ... I am more fearful than I have ever been of what will happen to me and my daughter (who helps takes care of me full time) ...
I am hoping that your kindness and generosity will help me stave off eviction ... until either the disability is approved ... or my early retirement social security kicks in (I will be 62 in November) ... I would never put anyone on the spot by asking for help ... but, I am desperate and anything you could contribute to helping me reach my goal would be most appreciated ... thank you all for reading this far ...
