Support a community nurse recovering from a TBI

It’s a tough time for everyone, and our household is no exception. My partner has recently suffered a Traumatic Brain Injury that has left them unable to work. This has been devastating to us personally as well as financially as they’re the breadwinner in our family.

They say 3 concussions is the limit. This is their 3rd. Their first TBI was when they were pregnant and they were beaten into unconsciousness in a DV situation. The fact that they were able to continue living, let alone single-handedly raising an amazing child while going to school and working full time (big ups to those in the community that loved and supported them during this time!!), is remarkable. We are hoping they have a similar recovery, though the chances are much more slim.

As their 3rd concussion in a decade, their symptoms have been debilitating, including horrific headaches, nausea, light and noise sensitivity, dizziness, stuttering, and memory loss, among others. They are limited to laying in their bed the majority of the day. Due to the severity of this brain injury, they have been out of work since the second week of December. At this point, we are unsure if they will ever work again.

For my partner, the thought of not being able to work in their profession is a huge disappointment. If you didn’t know, they moved to Philly as a full-time single parent without any community or financial resources to pursue street medicine and community health nursing. Within several months of arriving here, they started a rigorous accelerated nursing program to obtain a bachelors of nursing in 1 year. I am proud to say that they graduated with honors, a GPA of 3.93, and hours of their limited free time spent supporting houseless folx and folx with substance use disorder. They are a committed community member, often giving the shirt off their back. Seeing them question if they will ever be able to be as engaged in community care as they once were is heartbreaking.

Their days have been spent in bed- navigating worker’s comp, insurance claims, overdue bills, and endless doctor’s appointments- all while trying to rest their brain so they can heal. The stress of the unknown trajectory of their health journey is greatly exacerbated by the fact that they’ve burned through all of their vacation and sick time from work. They were actively saving this time so they could undergo a life saving surgery this year. Now, they have no paid time off work, no hope of getting this surgery, and no money coming in. On top of this, their employer is cancelling their medical insurance this month. To say that they are depressed, anxious, and struggling is an understatement.

So- what are we doing about all of this?

1- I have taken on all housework, childcare, and financial responsibilities. My income is minute compared to the monthly bills, so I am in search of a second part time job to supplement my contributions to the family. This will still not be enough to cover the monthly bills.

2- My partner is resting as much as possible and is trying to find some optimism in this dark time of their life.

3- We have reassessed our bills and are actively trying to cut out any “extras”. This means that we are considering a school transfer for kiddo to limit childcare expenses. This would be a huge transition for a kiddo who started at their school this year and moved homes less than a year ago.

4- We are applying for any applicable assistance programs. Unfortunately, these can take months to come into effect, if at all.

5- We are asking for help. Our biggest need is financial- the funds will be used to pay for our living expenses (housing, food, gas, electric, water, transportation). We are setting the goal for a high amount as we have no idea if my partner will ever be able to work again, and the programs we’ve applied for can take up to a year to come through.

If you would like to support my partner, and in extension our little family, in a non-fiscal way and are local, we could use support with:

-Meal trains

-Groceries

-Our dog being walked (so I can prioritize kiddo, dinner, and bedtime after work)

-House maintenance and cleaning (partner and kiddo are neurodivergent and I only moved in several months ago, so boxes still need to be unpacked along with organizing the house and daily cleaning such as dishes and laundry)

-Tutoring and enrichment activities for kiddo

-Rides (and support) to doctor appointments

-Letters of support mailed to my partner (with light and noise sensitivity, it is hard for them to text or call. They are missing their friends and community and would love to hear what y’all are up to, see some art, read the latest gossip, or just receive a letter of support)

- Any leads on part time or work from home jobs

We thank you in advance for any support and love that you send towards us. We love you all!