Help Jarred through financial hardship

Monthly Goal:

 USD $830

Total Raised:

 USD $1,130

Raised this month:

 USD $0

Campaign created by Jarred R

Campaign funds will be received by Jarred Rutherford

Help Jarred through financial hardship

The background and purpose of this campaign:

To explain this campaign, my name is Jarred, though some people know me as J.T. and I'm a 29 year old disabled man currently living in Alabama. I have chronic peripheral neuropathy and as such the nerves in my legs are slowly dying. This began in mid-2015 and started as severe burning pain in both feet as well as eventual lost of all physical sensation aside from the previously mentioned pain. The neuropathy has reached a point where the nerves no longer communicate properly with my muscles and the musculature from the knee down has started to atrophy. This makes walking or standing for even relatively short periods of time very painful. 

In November of 2022, the Birmingham DDS (Disability Determination Service) reached the conclusion that I am no longer disabled. This resulted in my only steady source of income being cut off later in February of 2023 along with all of my insurance. I quickly scrambled to find employment and found a position as a service clerk at a nearby grocery store, though immediately had to cut my hours as my legs began to be ground down by spending 4-6 hours a day on my feet without the aid of muscle. To put it lightly, this was no way to pay bills and I was barely earning enough to scrape by.

Now, my hours have been reduced so much that I'm only earning about $70 a week from my job. My grandfather, who had raised me for many years of my childhood, had graciously been helping me during this time by filling in gaps that I couldn't afford in bills and rent. However, my grandfather fell ill in late November and devastatingly passed late on the 4th of December. The DHS also didn't receive a form I had filled out (which I assume was lost in the mail) resulting in me losing EBT on November 30th. I'm working to correct this currently. Other family members (aunt, uncles) are rightfully preoccupied with the expenses from my grandfather's funeral and don't have much of any help to give.

After over a year of battling for reconsiderations and escalating my issue within the Social Security machine, I've finally been assigned a hearing with an administrative law judge on April 3rd. My issue is actually making it to April without lapsing on my rent, electric bill, medical debt payments, etc. 

The current state of things:

It makes me feel incredibly grimy to resort to a crowdfunding charity campaign, but the simple fact of the matter is that I do need assistance. I've spent the last month job hunting for a second position that I could work remotely but have found nothing that I meet the application requirements for (my area is heavily dominated by the real estate and insurance industries, both of which require state or federal licenses). I don't own a vehicle and the lack of sensation in my feet due to my condition means that driving is far less safe regardless. It's more frustrating than I can express to genuinely desire the ability to work a full-time job but being unable to. 

My mother will likely be able to provide a small amount of monthly assistance for groceries, but her position is also not very favorable and the amount she can aid me isn't enough to get by on.

The amount I'm asking for is broken down as follows:

Rent: $530/mo.

Power: avg. $68/mo.

Internet: $80/mo.

Medical: payment increments of $150/mo.

any additional payment for groceries I can (mostly) handle myself via income from work, however small. I'm also working on restoring my access to EBT to aid with food.

The ugly part:

Unfortunately, the Social Security Administration doesn't care all that much about "the little guy" as it were. I've gone through three reconsiderations on my case and all three have been denied within about a month and a half despite testimony from my own doctor, doctors assigned by the DDS, and my workplace (via a company-letterheaded third-party statement of support). What this means is that even the hearing in April may not be enough to successfully get back my disabled status from the SSA. The reality is that the biggest part of seeing an administrative law judge appears to be the demonstration of persistence that the claimant (myself) isn't pretending.

The mere fact that I managed to find an employer who would accommodate me (despite my own doctor's insistence that I'm harming myself even just working 4-6 hours a week and their own testimony that I cannot perform in a healthy manner with my condition) will likely be used against me during my hearing. It's an uphill battle and were it not such an outlandishly expensive request, I would also consider seeking funding for a disability attorney. This would total in the thousands of dollars, however, and because of my status as "formerly-disabled", I'll likely receive little to no backpay to afford their services should I be determined disabled again. I hope and pray that my battle can finally be won in April, but I don't know for sure

What I guarantee:

GiveSendGo doesn't allow perks or incentives, but even considering helping me out has my gratitude. I'm not famous or a cute little fellow in a heartstring-pulling tragedy like the movies. I'm probably not even that likeable. But what I am is a man with a painful chronic health condition that impacts my ability to work who is caught in a frightening situation. I'd be lying if I said I wasn't afraid and wondering about the immediate future. I don't drink, smoke, do drugs, or otherwise have any vices that tax the wallet or my physical health. Every cent is going toward simply keeping my head above water and buying time until I can plead my case to a judge in April. I'll do my best to make sure that each and every one of you understands in words the gratitude that I feel as well as keeping updated on my case. I've not stopped job-hunting and I don't plan to just sit around and wait. If you've read this far, I really appreciate it, and it means more than words can tell if you choose to help me.

Recent Donations
Show:
Anonymous Giver
$ 100.00 USD
3 months ago

Daniel Mueller
$ 100.00 USD
3 months ago

God bless, man

Anonymous Giver
$ 50.00 USD
11 months ago

Anonymous Giver
$ 200.00 USD
1 year ago

I don't know you Jarred but I wish you the best, hope this will help in some way. I will be praying for you and your situation. God Bless

Anonymous Giver
$ 100.00 USD
1 year ago

Anonymous Giver
$ 150.00 USD
1 year ago

Praying you'll receive great blessings during these hardships, friend. Know always that God is with you.

Anonymous Giver
$ 30.00 USD
1 year ago

I know of your situation through discord. I'm praying for you. I'll send the link to others as well.

Daniel Müller
$ 300.00 USD
1 year ago

God bless you my friend. I know this is hard for you, and you've struggled so much already. I'm praying for resolution for this

Anonymous Giver
$ 100.00 USD
1 year ago

Updates

Update #6: Sometimes the light at the end of the tunnel is just a shiny rock

January 15th, 2025

Well, I had hoped back in October that there'd finally be a resolution to this story, but we're still waiting. I'm incredibly appreciative for all the help received so far in a sense that I can never fully explain. Right now I'm doing alright but still trapped in the deadlock of waiting on the Social Security Administration. I haven't received any backpay whatsoever yet nor any notice of future payment so it's still a waiting game. My current insurance also covers hospital stays but not doctor visits so I've been paying that out of pocket. The real good news is that the Medicare Part D provider I was assigned is very good and I've finally been able to resume regularly taking the medications I needed. For the time being there's still no exact date on when this will all be resolved, but I really wish that the people in charge of things understood how many people's lives they were impacting by letting the system get this slow. It's going to be a rough couple of weeks but if I can make it to February I've got a student loan refund that should help a little.

Update #5: Light at the end of the tunnel

October 28th, 2024

I apologize profusely for not following up after that other update. I had another bit of a medical scare but it turns out things are alright. In what felt like a dream I got a call Friday from my attorney congratulating me as it appears that the decision in my hearing was favorable. For the time being, I've won. Over three years of work and countless hours but we've done it. Currently I've got about $7 to my name and nothing but ramen noodles and some packs of Knorr pasta but within 2 months I should receive some amount of backpay on my case. Once everything is sorted out around the start of the year I hope that I can unpublish this campaign and never have to impose upon others like this for basic necessities. I want all of you to know how much you've assisted me in this fight and how appreciative I truly am. I couldn't have done it without you. Seriously. Thank you all so much.

Update #4: Here we are again.

October 18th, 2024

I'm frustrated that I've had to do this but unfortunately I've found myself back in dire straits. Back in March I suffered a double knee injury that compounded issues with my walking and kept me in my apartment for almost 3 months. In that time I racked up a bit of debt in having to do things like Uber to doctor's appointments, pay for grocery delivery, etc. In March I was fortunate enough to apply for a small survivor's benefit from losing both grandparents (who had adopted me when I was younger and had legal guardianship when I was first declared disabled). It's $1000 a month and is just enough to get the bills paid and not much more, but it's a help nonetheless.

Still, I had a bit of a health scare over my heart last month that required me to stay for two days in the ER. While fortunately what I was experiencing wasn't a heart attack, it DID indicate a seemingly-benign prolonged inflammation of the tissue between my ribcage and heart. The bills seemed manageable but I miscalculated how large of a payment to make and so now I've got about $40 that I need to survive on for the entire rest of the month.

There is fortunately a possible hope on the horizon. On August 5th I finally had a hearing before an actual administrative law judge over my disability. My lawyer advised me beforehand that he was familiar with the judge and that he was a very fair and considerate judge. I've been waiting since then on a decision to be made (disability adjudication can take several weeks to half a year depending) but if successful, I'd be able to restore a (helpful) fraction of my prior disability benefits to live on. As of right now I'm still walking on a cane and slowly working to regain some strength and stamina but am still mostly confined to my home. Otherwise, though, I am in good spirits and will be beginning a new term of online courses on the 28th, God willing. It's currently after dark but in the morning I'll scan the relevant documents pertaining to my ER visit since I don't like to make claims about things without giving people who may be assisting financially some sort of proof.

Update #3: When it rains it pours

February 11th, 2024

I apologize profusely for the long break in updates. Unfortunately the past few weeks have been hard ones. Since my last update I've had to completely quit my job due to physical strain on my legs. Because of this I've focused much more on learning to walk with a cane. More paramount, my grandmother sadly passed three days ago with only 64 days between losing her and losing my grandfather. It's devastating but I also understand that they're free of the pain they were suffering here.

February is, barring any more unseen expenses, covered financially. Currently, March is still unaccounted for and I've still yet to find a promising lead on a new job. (Although by now I've had plenty of annoying scammers)

As before, I greatly appreciate the amount of help that I've kindly been offered so far.

Update #2: Proof of payments and update

January 11th, 2024

Thank you all again for the help, as I've said a million times. I've been a little bit quiet as my sinuses and allergies have been getting the worst of me and I haven't been focusing on much other than work or school. Thanks to you, I was able to pay my way into January and inch ever-closer to my hearing in April. I'm hopeful for February but will probably never stop feeling grimy for asking for donations. Below I've included screenshots of the expenses I've paid for the month as well as descriptions of what each payment is for. Just as you've chosen to help me, it's my responsibility to ensure to you all that the funds are going where they belong. As usual, I appreciate all the love you've shown me through this hardship. 

Update Update #2: Proof of payments and update Image
Update #1: Appreciation

December 30th, 2023

I could never have expected the support I received in only one day. As of right now I have enough to cover the coming month's rent and some bills. Each and every one of you has helped me more than you can know, and it's something that I'll never forget.

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