Seeking Help Upon My Wife's Passing of Cancer

Please know, I am reaching out through this platform as a last resort.

My wife, Andrea, was diagnosed with terminal cancer on January 11th, 2023. After a brave and challenging battle, she passed away peacefully August 6th, 2024, in our home while we held hands. Below is a link to learn more about Andrea and her journey, if you are interested.

https://www.shareyourandreastory.com/

Andrea was unable to work from the day she was diagnosed until the day she passed. While she did qualify for Disability, there was a 6-month waiting period, which in turn ended up being 7 months due to the way they pay out funds.

During my wife’s tumultuous journey, my work hours also became dramatically reduced so I could be there to support and care for her. I was working around 14-18 hours a week at most, and sometimes as few as 5 hours a week. While I did my best to balance work and home lives, my commitment to my wife and her needs ALWAYS came first, so my income became significantly reduced during her battle.

I secretly sought financial help earlier from family and banks, and tried my best to use the minimal credit we had to make ends meet. Family is maxed out, and the banks were of no assistance. I considered this path earlier but did not want Andrea to feel any added stress from knowing our finances were becoming a challenge. Her physical and emotional health was my main concern.

In addition to losing my wife, I also lost my job shortly before her passing because I needed to be there with her 24/7. I was told I did not qualify for vacation time, sick days, PTO or even FMLA.

I applied for unemployment, only to find out that a person cannot qualify for unemployment if they were/are unable to work. For her last two weeks, my wife needed me at home 24/7 to assist with even the most basic of tasks, so I was unable to work, meaning I could not collect unemployment for those weeks. Further, due to a "technicality" on how my employment ended, I was told I will not qualify for any unemployment moving forward.

Further, the Disability payments my wife received stop upon her death, and a person cannot claim “Survivor Benefits” until they reach 60 years old. I have 8 years until that time.

My wife and I lived modestly… Smaller house, no fancy cars, no expensive toys, boats or lake home. All we really have/had is the house and our one car. These two things now mean everything to me. They are my last tangible connection to the woman I loved unconditionally for 28 years, and will continue to love until the day I leave this earth. The thought of losing these items due to fate and circumstance beyond our control is heartbreaking.

I am seeking your kindness and compassion to help me through this rough patch, allowing me to reset from the severe physical, emotional, and financial strain Andrea and I went through as a couple over the past 19 months. I just need a moment to regroup, then find new employment.

I whole-heartedly thank you in advance for your generosity. Any size donation is appreciated, so please do not be intimidated by my “Goal” amount. That was merely a suggested amount based off the type of campaign I am running. Thank you and have a blessed day.