We need help
Donation protected
The man in the picture is my husband, Pitt Crandlemire. This is him in better days enjoying his favorite pastime, gaming. At least once a week, and at times more often, he would get together with his friends and play board games and card games. He also attended local and regional conventions. As you can see from this pic he had a great sense of humor.
He is no longer able to do this. The past three years have seen him laid off from the job he had for 23 years, a decline in his health, and severe vision problems. It started when he was mugged in our driveway early one Sunday morning. His right eye was damaged and required surgery. After telling him to take the time he needed to get well, his employers pushed him out the door for missing too much time. While he was searching for work he was hospitalized twice with severe infections, the last one turned septic and almost killed him.
In December of 2014 he was in an auto accident. He was driving and does not remember what happened, but the car was totalled, the airbag did not deploy and he suffered a fractured neck which has also resulted in nerve damage in his left arm with chronic pain. He was in the hospital for three weeks and two different rehab facilities for 3 months. He still has not regained much strength or stamina.
His current physical condition is a long-time diabetic, has monthly eye injections for retinal swelling, is blind in his right eye from blockage in the retina and abnormal blood vessel growth, is in end-stage renal failure and dialysis and has no sensation in fingers and his legs below his knees making it very difficult to walk. His red blood cell level is too low for him to even be considered for a transplant at this time and he is receiving treatment for this.
So why am I telling you all this and setting such a high goal? As you can imagine, Pitt being unable to work and provide has hit him very hard. We have defaulted on our mortgage and the bank is beginning foreclosure proceedings. We have a home equity loan as a "second mortgage" of about $88,000, and while trying to live on my social security and military disability pension (totalling about $1,000 per month) we maxed out the credit card to the tune of $14,000. Oh, and the IRS found an error in our taxes two years ago and are after us for $5,000. As if that wasn't enough, in order to stop the foreclosure proceedings so we can try to organize and sell our house and not just have everything siezed we have to come up with $55,000. Pitt has been receiving Social Security Disability for the past year, but that doesn't help if you are this far in the hole.
Why am I not working? Well, first off I am 10 years older than Pitt, have fibromyalgia, two herniated disks, arthritis, chronic migraines and at this point am the 24/7 caregiver for Pitt. I have been overwhelmed with Pitt's illnesses and trying to keep things together. We just have nothing left. We went through retirement, savings, every penny we had trying to provide food and shelter.
There is no family that is able to help, we are on our own. We just need help to slow things down a bit until we are able to pull body and soul together.
Any help is hugely welcome and greatly appreciated.
He is no longer able to do this. The past three years have seen him laid off from the job he had for 23 years, a decline in his health, and severe vision problems. It started when he was mugged in our driveway early one Sunday morning. His right eye was damaged and required surgery. After telling him to take the time he needed to get well, his employers pushed him out the door for missing too much time. While he was searching for work he was hospitalized twice with severe infections, the last one turned septic and almost killed him.
In December of 2014 he was in an auto accident. He was driving and does not remember what happened, but the car was totalled, the airbag did not deploy and he suffered a fractured neck which has also resulted in nerve damage in his left arm with chronic pain. He was in the hospital for three weeks and two different rehab facilities for 3 months. He still has not regained much strength or stamina.
His current physical condition is a long-time diabetic, has monthly eye injections for retinal swelling, is blind in his right eye from blockage in the retina and abnormal blood vessel growth, is in end-stage renal failure and dialysis and has no sensation in fingers and his legs below his knees making it very difficult to walk. His red blood cell level is too low for him to even be considered for a transplant at this time and he is receiving treatment for this.
So why am I telling you all this and setting such a high goal? As you can imagine, Pitt being unable to work and provide has hit him very hard. We have defaulted on our mortgage and the bank is beginning foreclosure proceedings. We have a home equity loan as a "second mortgage" of about $88,000, and while trying to live on my social security and military disability pension (totalling about $1,000 per month) we maxed out the credit card to the tune of $14,000. Oh, and the IRS found an error in our taxes two years ago and are after us for $5,000. As if that wasn't enough, in order to stop the foreclosure proceedings so we can try to organize and sell our house and not just have everything siezed we have to come up with $55,000. Pitt has been receiving Social Security Disability for the past year, but that doesn't help if you are this far in the hole.
Why am I not working? Well, first off I am 10 years older than Pitt, have fibromyalgia, two herniated disks, arthritis, chronic migraines and at this point am the 24/7 caregiver for Pitt. I have been overwhelmed with Pitt's illnesses and trying to keep things together. We just have nothing left. We went through retirement, savings, every penny we had trying to provide food and shelter.
There is no family that is able to help, we are on our own. We just need help to slow things down a bit until we are able to pull body and soul together.
Any help is hugely welcome and greatly appreciated.
Organizer
Radonna Crandlemire
Organizer
Reading, MA