2020 might be the worst year for most. However, 2022/2023 has been the worst for my wife and me. In January of 2022 my wife was told she needed back surgery and was told bedrest until surgery. They scheduled the surgery for March, by June we knew she wasn’t “fixed”. Well, it turns out that she needed two surgeries, but they couldn’t do the second one until she had healed from the first. So a second surgery was done in July. I cashed in an insurance policy to help financially in 2022. My wife was finally able to begin working again in the fall of 2022, but she has had to take a step down due to her back which may take over a year to fully recover. I’ve been on disability for cardiovascular reasons since 2017. My social security disability helps financially, but we are always short and are falling further behind due to using credit cards to make ends meet. Oh, I almost forgot in November 2022 I was diagnosed with small cell lung cancer which comes with new expenses like nuclear scans (PET scans) every three months for the next two or three years, then becoming every 6 months for the rest of my life. I wasn’t sure what amount to ask for as we are bleeding money monthly. The loss of income of $957/month from cashing out the insurance last year would surely help… but it was necessary for 2022. I don’t know what else to say. I’m not a person that likes asking for help; actually, I find it very difficult, and I have put it off as long as I can. We hope my wife will be able to return to her higher-paying nursing work by fall/winter of 2023; even if you can’t help us out, I think writing this has made me feel better. I thank you for taking the time to read this.
