❤️ A Sudden Stroke Has Turned Our New Beginning Upside Down — Please Help Us Through This Difficult Time
Six months ago, we arrived in America with grateful hearts, big dreams, and the hope of building a safe and stable future. We have worked hard, embraced our new home, and done everything we can to stand on our own two feet. We love America and are so thankful for the opportunities and kindness we have experienced here.
Unfortunately, life has taken an unexpected and frightening turn.
I recently suffered a stroke and was admitted to the neurological ICU at INTEGRIS Baptist Medical Center. It has been an incredibly scary experience, but by the grace of God, I am doing better, and the doctors expect me to make a full recovery. We give God all the glory, and we are deeply grateful for every prayer and every person who has stood beside us during this time. 🙏❤️
As we navigate recovery, we are also facing a very real financial challenge.
When we first arrived in America, we received Medicaid coverage for only our first two months. Once we started working, that coverage ended, and I obtained health insurance privately on my own. While we are grateful to have insurance, it does not cover everything. There are still deductibles, copays, and medical expenses that we must pay ourselves.
We had worked hard to save what we could, but our savings went toward bringing our beloved dog, Ritz, from South Africa to America and purchasing a vehicle to help us get to work and build our lives here. Those were important steps in establishing our new home, but they have left us with no savings to fall back on during this emergency.
There is another difficult reality. I have not been employed long enough to qualify for paid time off. In America, no work means no pay. While I recover and am unable to work, my income stops, but our rent, car payment, insurance, utilities, groceries, and medical bills do not stop.
We are now facing the double burden of unexpected medical expenses and lost income at a time when we are still trying to establish ourselves in a new country.
Asking for help is not easy for us. We came here wanting to work, contribute, and build our future through our own efforts. We are not looking for a handout or a way to avoid responsibility. We are simply a family who has found ourselves in a frightening and unexpected situation, and we need a little help to get through it.
That is why we have returned to GiveSendGo. We are humbly asking for assistance to help cover hospital and medical copays, everyday living expenses, and the bills that will continue to arrive while I recover and cannot earn my normal income.
Every donation, no matter how small, would make a genuine difference to us. If you are unable to donate, sharing our story or keeping us in your prayers would mean more than you know.
We have experienced so much kindness since arriving in America, and we continue to be overwhelmed by the goodness of people who have become like family to us. We love this country, we are grateful to be here, and we remain hopeful that this difficult chapter will pass and that we will soon be back on our feet again.
Above all, we trust in the Lord. Our faith is carrying us through the fear and uncertainty, and we believe that even in our hardest moments, God places people in our lives to help us carry the burden.
Thank you for taking the time to read our story, for caring about our family, and for helping us in whatever way you can. Every prayer, every share, every kind word, and every donation means more than we can ever express.
May God bless you abundantly for being part of our journey. All glory to Him, always. ❤️🙏
