I am disabled and need help paying for my move, please.

Hi, my name is Mariam. I’m 48 years-old and have been sick since I got mono in 1996. I just never was the same afterwards. I still worked, while getting progressively more sick, for 20+ years, often on my feet, all day. Then my body just gave out, about ten years ago and I fought for years to finally get disability. I have tried to work again a couple times and gotten extremely ill doing very simple, sedentary jobs for even a couple hours.

I have the opportunity to get section 8 and only have to pay 30% of my income to live in Monterey, CA! But, I have a couple-dozen health issues as well as need surgery for a large benign ovarian tumor, need a stent (at high risk for blood clotting complications,) and other new health developments. I’m moving from Denver to Monterey and will also have to be traveling up to 180 miles, round-trip to see my doctors at Stanford…multiple times a month, if not more. Moving from a very expensive area to an even more expensive area, adding up costs for medical related costs/visits and being unable to work make for a very difficult situation. I’m also moving to a place I know nobody. I’m asking for your help in donating or SHARING my link, please ! Thank you! I hope you will read my story below:

After I got mono in college…ME/CFS is the name of the first condition that developed…(same/very similar to long Covid, but mine started after Mono.) Then, I ended up with several autoimmune issues including lupus, neurological lupus, Myasthenia Gravis (affects neuromuscular system…very heavy arms and legs, affects breathing and makes my heart rate go very high and muscles get very weak upon minimal exertion,) Sjogren’s, CIRS, Fibromyalgia and about 20-30 total diagnoses. I’ve been told several times that I belong in a medical textbook, need to go to Mayo Clinic or need a “Dr.House.” Nearly everything they’ve said is genetic. I look fine…but I am NOT and haven’t been for 30 years! Working for 20+ years while getting progressively sicker does not do a body good.

My whole adult life has been a struggle to keep from getting too sick to work and keeping a stable roof over my head. I worked for 20+ years on my feet as a makeup artistry trainer for a cosmetic company and then as a cold-caller for software sales. I won lots of awards when I was able to work, I got told by the owner of the company I worked for he chose me first for his team out of 200 others “because you are the hardest working person in the bundling.” Then my body would give out again and I’d have to quit or get laid off… because, although I was a top performer, I kept having to call out. Then one day, 12/26/2014…I had a stressful sales call…got a fever within a few minutes and felt like I had the flu (lupus, which they didn’t diagnose until years later after I had the symptoms for 25 years.) I haven’t been able to work since. I tried a few years ago and it led to a severe lupus and Myasthenia Gravis attack that was extremely dangerous and I got gravely ill…(but at least it got me diagnosed.)

I tried again to go back to work a few months ago, doing my friend’s makeup lesson, sitting down, for a couple hours and had so much fun! I was exited to be able to go back to work, even if just part-time. On my way home, both kidneys started hurting badly (lupus,) I felt like I did when I had Covid with body aches, chills, extreme malaise. I was bedridden for more than a week and took nearly three weeks to get back to normal, which isn’t great to begin with. Anything that stresses my body out physically, cognitively, emotionally and environmentally triggers my immune system to atta k me and it’s aimed at my organs. Even a sedentary deal job making phone calls set off a chain-of-events that nearly killed me a few years ago.

I’m so lucky that I FINALLY qualified for disability ($1700/month, but I know it could be less,) as well as I just qualified for Section 8 in Monterey, CA! I have lived in Denver now for 9 years and I’ve never been so sick as I’ve been here. I get better in other states and the best I’ve ever felt was Newport Beach (on the actual beach, in CA….but got sick again when I went a few miles inland.) Monterey didn’t work as much magic as Newport Beach, but definitely better than Denver!

I have very inconsistent luck with the medical system here and have been getting the runaround and dismissed or doctors not thinking outside the box enough, a lot. I really need a big research university hospital system like Stanford to poke and prod at me in the hopes they can finally give me the help I need. Taking care of all my health issues is more than a full-time job, in-and-of-itself!

I recently found out I have a baseball-sized tumor where my left ovary used to be. I’ve been complaining of excruciating pain for years and got told it was muscle pain. Several radiologists missed the tumor years ago on scans. I had four doctors tell me they thought it was cancer, but I saw a gynecological oncologist at Stanford last week and he said he is pretty sure it’s a benign ovarian fibroma! He Can do laparoscopic surgery to take it out instead of open surgery! I’m so grateful…but, it was a long month until I got that news. I also found out I need a stent in one of my arteries (mostly genetic but I do like salad AND candy.) Then another doctor said he wants me to get a bone marrow biopsy for suspicion of multiple myeloma that they’ve kept an eye on for a couple years, because my immune markers are nuts. That’s besides my normal couple-dozen health issues.

I tried to move my section 8 voucher closer to Stanford Hospital area but I was not even a California resident yet and it’s against their policy to transfer me before a year. I’m excited and SO lucky to have the opportunity to live in Monterey for just 30% of my income! But, I’ll be making LOTS of 60-90 mile trips to Stanford health clinics (1-2+ hours each way in California traffic and about $30-40 in gas each trip…not including if I’m too tired to drive back and need to find a place to stay overnight.)

Plus, I’m moving from Denver, (which is already difficult enough to afford to live in,) to one of the most expensive parts of the country. The move is expensive, living there will be expensive for someone who makes $21k a year and then all the expenses of traveling back and forth to doctor appointments as well. I hope I’ll feel better enough to do a little makeup job here and there once I recover from surgery, but that won’t be until at least late March 2025, then I need to get the stent put in and am at high risk for blood clots with some issues I have related to lupus…and who knows how my body will react after the way it did here, the last time I tried to work. So it might be 6-12 months before I can really concentrate on working little gigs here and there to supplement my income.

So, this will be the first time in my adult life that I’ll have stable housing, stable income, great health insurance at a low cost, great doctors and live in a part of the country that might be less triggering for my autoimmune issues all at the same time! I just need to get there first and get set-up, have surgery for this baseball, get the stent and get some doctor’s appointments out of the way, before I can even try to work…then I might be able to provide for myself better. In the meantime…I could really use your help with either donating what you can, (every little bit helps,) or SHARING this link, please!

I’m so grateful for those of you who have donated so far! We got to about half my goal! At the same time, my goal was set before I had this cancer scare and had to fly out to Stanford and see that doctor. I was lucky to find help for parts of the trip, but it still costs me hundreds of dollars. I had to give up my original apartment when I tried to switch counties but now it’s unavailable and I’ve paid hundreds in application fees looking for a new one. The availability is more scare now, prices higher and It’s very competitive. They handed out 1500 vouchers at the same time. I still am waiting to hear back. I haven’t gotten denied…but don’t know if they will choose me over all the other qualified applicants who are not on section 8.

So, here I am…humbly asking you to help me get moved and settled so I can finally breathe a sigh of relief and have a stable roof over my head and the resources to try to tackle the huge puzzle that is my health. Thank you so much for reading My story and sharing!

(Please see cost breakdown below:)

Estimate of costs:

1.) $1000 apartment deposit. Need by 11/1.

2.)U-box containers:~$2500 (4 small boxes)

3.)LABOR to load and unload (including tip,) in CO &CA: $1000 total for both

4.)Shipping car(including tip) $800

5.) car maintenance $60k mile maintenance due. $600 I can’t afford that with rent and bills on SSDI, even with section 8 help. I’m concerned it will be way more expensive in CA, so I want to get it done before I leave CO.

6.) My Myasthenia Gravis makes it really hard to do anything with my arms. I need help deep cleaning my current residence $200

7.) needing wellness exam/vaccines for my two cats to get them into my new apartment complex. They won’t do them without the exam. $300 total

8.) Junk Hauling $400. I am going to try to get rid of 30-50% of my stuff before the move. Even if I got friends to help with their truck, dump costs money and it would be probably 3 trips.

9.) $700 for flights for me and my friend to fly me and my cats to CA. One-way for me and round trip for her. It would have to be to Monterey airport and only certain airlines fly there.

10.) I am in desperate need of new glasses. My prescription has changed drastically and I can’t see up close with old Glasses. I have to take my glasses off to see and that strains my eyes and makes them start hurting a lot and headaches. I have a very strong and complicated Rx and my glasses usually cost $700. Insurance only covers exam.

Thank you so much for reading this and sharing the link!