I am a 62 year old disabled widow. I have been suffering from the ever increasing pain and discomfort of Fibromyalgia for over 30 years. I also suffer from Hashimotos disease and a spinal defect that gives me a stiff neck. I have been officially disabled since 2016, but wasn't approved for SSDI until 2019.

My husband of more than 36 years passed away a year and a half ago. He was an Army veteran who served in the late 1970's to the mid 1980's. We met 2 years after he was Honorably discharged.

Three years after we married, we decided to move from Massachusetts to Florida. A few years later we were ready to start a family and purchase our first home but things didn't work out that way. My husband had to have surgery and being put under anesthesia triggered the dementia from Huntington's Disease, something he didn't know he had. Huntington's causes early dementia, involuntary body movements, and loss of motor control.

The dementia came on slowly with odd behavior. Then came the paranoia. He was convinced everyone at work and our neighbors were watching his every move and whispering about him. He went from job to job and began drinking heavily. I knew something was wrong, but I couldn't get him to go to a doctor. For 13 years I struggled with his decline before being able to get him diagnosed.

On Father's Day 2007, the mobile home we rented went up in flames. He had just quit his latest job and we struggled to find a place to live and to replace our belongings.

In 2010, the psychosis set in. He began talking to people who weren't there. He would go around and pour water on our neighbor's cars, and he would shine a flashlight into the windows of the motel across the street. I had to have him involuntarily committed. They did an MRI on his brain and discovered that he had way too much atrophy for someone his age.

I then found out that he could be elidgible for the VA Healthcare system. This was a true blessing as he was finally diagnosed and the VA provided him with everything he needed.

I still struggled with taking care of him while dealing with my own health issues. Once I could no longer work, the stress increased as I waited to be approved for SSDI.

In the fall of 2020, my husband became bed bound and went on a feeding tube. Luckily, the VA provided him with Home Health Care, so he was able to stay at home.

November of 2023, I was diagnosed with breast cancer. I had surgery the following January, then went through chemo and radiation, which I am still paying for.

December 7, 2024, my husband passed away peacefully at home. Because of his illness, we were never able to buy a home or save for retirement. His passing not only left me alone, it put me into a dire financial situation. Living expenses, i.e., rent, utilities, insurance, ect., stayed the same, but my household income was cut in half. This at a time when the cost for everything began to skyrocket.

I have been trying to find a part-time job, by my mobility isuues are making that very difficult. Every year my Medicare takes away benefits and increases my out-of-pocket. I am now in debt and burning the financial candle at both ends.

I am now in need of new brakes and tires for my car, my mattress and sofa both need to be replaced, and my clothes dryer just died on me.

I need help and have no one to turn to. If you are able to donate, thank you very much. If not, sharing the link may mean just as much and could help reach people who can.