Hello everyone at Daily Kos! This is such a great community! I hope you are with loved ones that will warm your Winter days and that you will always hold each other close in your hearts.
I am asking reluctantly for some financial assistance for my situation at this time. I have been sheltering in my tuck since last Summer due to unfortunate events that found me, causing my savings to be depleted catastrophically. I was hospitalized in December 2020 for nine days, diagnosed then with heart failure and AFIB, and this resulted in over $60,000 of medical debt. Recently before, after, and including Halloween, I was re-hospitalized for seven nights in a Progressive Care Unit room for the same heart conditions. My heart illness severely compromises any physical activity I have had to do since my initial diagnosis twenty four months ago.
My savings were used up paying off some of the medical debt, and for hotel housing following separation after 32 years from my wife. It was sudden, and I had no idea where I might live, I was despondent, and the pandemic was upon all of us. I was actually unable physically to find a place, walk much (AFIB causes high heart rates and arrhythmias, making simple stuff feel like a 400 yard dash. I also have severe arthritis in both knees), or let alone do what would be necessary to do to move into more permanent housing. Eventually, I began sheltering in my vehicle last July, while working, alone, slowly due to my heart trouble, to save family photos and multi-generation treasured records and other family history things that were placed into storage following my separation from my wife in August 2020, and then our “grey divorce” last year, after decades of being in a close, I thought, happy family. I had to cut all costs that I could. All of this has been, in a word, a nightmare for me.
Since August 28, 2020 the height of the pandemic until now, I have been mostly alone, this will be my third Christmas without my family, and it has been very difficult emotionally, to say the least. On Thanksgiving Day my water pump exploded which took more money, including a few nights lodging, than I had. (One good person here in town paid for part of it, so I could keep the truck). I am trying to not be on the streets or in a shelter taking a bed from someone without a vehicle. Four weeks ago my backpack was stolen with a truck key and my only remote, all my toiletries were lost, and I couldn’t spend gas money on replacements. I cobbled some together from a couple of my other bags I have in the truck. I am limiting my food intake. It has been difficult and my small family is not helping me, sigh...
I was recently included on the Community Needs List of Street Prophets Coffee Hour. (Thank You njm5000 and Aashirs nani!) I received some donations from a few kind kossacks, who I hope to list in an update soon. I have used the money for gas the last few totally frigid and snowy days, to help me stay out of local shelters that have been very full due to our unusually cold winter in the High Desert of Central Oregon. I had to pay yesterday for three more months to keep a UPS mail address active, and with that, gas costs, and a little to eat now and then (got lunch today, first time ever, at our local Senior Center, I am once again down to less than $75.
So reluctantly, because I have always helped others and did not know how to even begin to ask, I need some help myself, and I decided to write this story for publication to the Daily Kos Community at large.
I recently set up a Paypal account at: celtichart1@aol.com
I use Venmo at: celtichart1@aol.com (yes AOL, just kept it from the early net days)
A couple of days ago I also created a GoFundMe account at: www.gofundme.com/...
I really truly need some help at this time, mainly for gas because it is quite frigid and snowy here now, food, staying clean using a discounted city pool membership, and other necessary things including prescriptions. I am at the end of my ability to deal with this series of unfortunate events. I have never done this before, I am uncomfortable asking for assistance, but that is the situation, and so here I am. Daily Kos is my only social media account, so please re-post this where you think it might be seen, if you can. And, please, pass it on to whoever you think might wish to help. I know there is a lot of need out there, and I am someone in one of those situations and times. And even if you cannot help, please rec this story to keep it a bit more visible here.
I know there are many good folks here at Kos. A few have helped. I would like to raise $7,500 to $10,000 to somehow help get me over and out of this Winter’s, and the last 28 months, of bad luck and unfortunate events and loneliness. Thank you for any help you decide to give. Hopefully you will stay always with your loved ones, and may you all find comfort this Holiday Season, and beyond.
Very Sincerely,
Falcon Hawke
