To Whom It May Concern:
I am writing to formally document the extreme medical and financial hardship my household is currently facing. I am a 59-year-old former small business owner. For 3/4 of my adult life, I successfully ran a hands-on home automation and theater installation business in our community. Due to severe, progressive spinal deterioration, I was physically forced to close my business in June 2023. I attempted to return to a lighter form of work later that year, but my body failed me within four months.
I am currently diagnosed with severe degenerative disc disease, spinal arthritis, bulging and herniated discs, uncontrollable muscle spasms, severe muscle weakness, and debilitating foot drop on my dominant side. An objective EMG test performed by my neurologist confirms permanent, severe neurological nerve damage. To manage the agonizing pain and spasms, I am prescribed a heavy regimen of sedating medications (including Duloxetine, Cyclobenzaprine, Celecoxib, and Gabapentin) that leave me severely fatigued, groggy, and unable to maintain basic workplace concentration.
Our household has been pushed to a financial breaking point:
- Complete Income Loss: I have had zero personal income since my business closed, June 2023 after a hard hit at a stop sign no faultt of my own. See pictures. I had recovered from a 2020 accident that gave me 37 staples in my head and neck damage. My wife makes less than $1700 a month after taxes. Our mortgage alone is $681.00
- Safety Net Denial: We recently applied for SNAP food assistance to help us survive. We were denied because my wife’s income sits just a few dollars over the strict state limit. Her income alone cannot cover our rising medical bills, prescriptions, and basic living expenses.
- Barrier to Care: I am currently prescribed critical twice-a-week physical therapy to address my foot drop and nerve damage. However, due to our extreme financial distress, we cannot regularly afford the gasoline required to drive to my medical appointments and physical therapy sessions. We can not afford two a week at this time without assistance, let alone the upcoming needed care and MRI’s.
Without immediate intervention, I am at direct risk of having to cancel the medical treatment required to stop my body from deteriorating further simply because we cannot afford fuel, to make appointments
Any immediate assistance your organization can provide—whether through emergency gasoline cards, fuel vouchers, utility relief, or direct food support—will go entirely toward keeping me in medical care and keeping our household afloat.
Thank you for your time, consideration, and compassion.
Sincerely,
Robert Wheeles