My name is Ann. I am 52 years old with two children and two grandchildren. I am single and have raised my family and took care of us throughout the years. About two years ago I started to develop symptoms in my hands and feet that included numbness and tingling, the neurologist thought that it was fibromyalgia but as time passed my symptoms progressed. I started to have to use canes to walk because of weakness in my arms and legs at that point. I thought maybe I had Huntington’s or MS it turned out I had a compression on my spine. I would need spinal surgery to relieve the compression, and hopefully help with the nerve pain not progressing. I had surgery August 1 of last year. Nothing changed after the surgery. I still had to use the cane’s to walk and the pain actually got worse. I lost 20 pounds after the surgery not being able to eat because swallowing was difficult and I had extreme nausea. In early October, I had Covid I became very ill and weak and lost even more weight. Within one week I was not able to walk without using a walker, and even that was very difficult. I had home health care services come to my house for physical therapy, occupational therapy and helping with bathing. My son who lives with me only work part time so he could help take care of me and our household picking up groceries medication‘s and other things we needed for our house. My hope was to get stronger to go back to work and unfortunately that has not happened. I’m at a point where I can’t support myself or my household financially and I am unable to work at this time. I have used all of my savings to support me for the last seven months. I am in need of financial support to be able to stay in my house where I have rented for the last 12 years and to pay my bills. I am now getting proper pain management, eating, physical therapy and hopefully through hard work I will able to get stronger with time and recover. I just need some help to be able to get through the time that I need to recover. I had heard about this organization through a Facebook post in my neighborhood group. I have always been a very strong, independent person that has raised two children single-handedly and created a life for myself. It is not easy to be in this position, where I am so vulnerable, and not being able to take care of myself. I consider myself a good person I have always helped out others and need and have done volunteer work in the past. Now I am the one in need and that has to ask for help. Thank you for taking this time to get to know me and consider helping me through this very difficult time in my life.

Thank you,

Ann