Child recently disabled in car accident -4 months in hospital, Apt. Fire forced move - cannot pay bills or work now
My Birthday:
June 20
Occupation:
New times call for new job -self-employ?
My Network
Number of Referrals: 0
My Mutual Connections: 4
My URL: http://www.microgiving.com/profile/needaliftup Offline |
Member Since: 05/02/09 | Login Count: 33 | Profile Views: 991 | Last Login: 07/20/09
Biography
Hi there, I am at a loss at this time. My daughter was in a horrible head on collision in December and was in the hospital until April 8th, 2009. She suffered a broken neck (c1/skull dislocation). Of course, I was at the hospital for her all that time and lost my Bookeeping clients. (I was self-employed. Also, at the time of her accident, my town was without power. Her accident was December 15th and the fire occured Dec. 18th when the landlord and his 15yr old son went to the apartments and set up propane heaters - 8 apts, 1 adult monitoring them, not a good idea. When I returned home to settle some things in late Jan. I found that the landlords were not planning on cleaning up after the fire. Everything was a loss in the kitchen and the rest of the house was smoke/soot damaged. I ended up having to call the fire dept, it was the first they HEARD of the fire and the health inspector, who condemmed the apt and demanded that the landlords have the place professionally cleaned. Well - They didn't - instead, they fought the town and prevented them from helping me get my apt back. So, I was trying to deal with all this loss, and the major medical and emotional needs of my daughter who was hospitalized 2 hours from home. I just couldn't do it all - so I focused my efforts on what is most important - my daughter.
In conclusion, to make a long story short - I found a new apt. April 1st, when I knew my daughter would be home soon. Luckily, I had a motorcycle to sell to pay for this as all my savings were wiped out. I didn't receve any compensation or replacements to any of the fire loss because I couldn't afford a Lawyer and had to deal with small town politics. My daughter needs special care in returning to school - split "shifts", sick time (she has had a major infection and an allergic reaction to the antibiotics in the almost month home. I take her to physical and speech therapy three times a week and have not been able to work because her needs are just too demanding. I have applied for town/state assistance, but due to my daughters illnesses since and lack of a knowledgable sitter, missed an important meeting and delayed any benfits for at least 2 months. I DO recieve 699.99/month in Disability/social security for my daughter. I just recieved my first check.
My expenses are: 900/month rent, 120/month electric, $40/month phone. I don't have cable yet, of course and luckily am able to get free wireless internet because I live above a pizza parlor that offers it. Then of course, there are prescriptions, food, gasoline, etc.. your everyday living needs.
Honestly, I don't know how else to make it right now without asknig for help from strangers. I am not sure if it is just takes a while to recieve any welfare or if I am just still an emotional wreck over almost losing my daughter and home. I don't know if I am really doing all I can, but it certainly feels like it. I need a hand desperatly until the state kicks in with something. I have much to replace - I wash plastic cups, plates, and cutlery. I have lost so much in so little time that it is really going to take nothing less than a miracle to get me through this time in my life. I hope I qualify for two miracles in my life, because I already recieved one when the doctors were able to revive my daughter from the accident.
I don't know what else to say, but thank you to any and all donors on this site for listening to my troubles and possibly helping me out.
My Purpose
My real purpose here is NOT to feel sorry for myself, or just be another bad country song. I have a lot more depth to me than that. What I hope to accomplish is perhaps receiving some financial help from the generous people on this site to help me get a leg up on helping myself. I would really like to pay off as much of the accumulated medical bills, and also the personal utility bills that added up while I was at the hospital. I also need to find a way to afford my apartment and the electric until I personally have a solution of my own, or some government help kicks in.
Yes, I really need a lot of help at this time to even pay off some of the bare minimums - but also by journalling on this site where I feel I have some privacy, or at least understanding, I am really coming into terms with my streak of bad luck and really reaching deep down to find ways to help myself that I may not have thought of had I not joined this site. I certainly don't expect the public to "come to my rescue" and make all my problems disappear, but even with my new found positive thinking and ingenuity, I have to concede that I do need to remain on this site an remain hopeful that I will receive some support. I have never been one to ask for help.
Recent changes in my life : The only recent changes in my life are the ones that found me here. Another really tough result of the accident, is that my daughter is unable to speak. I suppose that is a change - because now I have her in my bed at night should she need something and by my side all the time except for school.. :) Trust me, when I have some POSITIVE changes in life - I will post them here first!
Favorite board game Funny - LIFE
What is most important thing in your life? Unquestionably - my daughter and her happiness and well-being
Pick five words that describe yourself : Loving, generous, timid, non-trusting, Unique
Can you juggle ? Yes
What is your favorite day? My birthday! I take my daughter to a place (zoos, Children's museums, Theme Parks) of her choosi
What is your favorite season? Spring.
What is your favorite meal? Shepards Pie
What time do you wake up in the morning? 6 or 7
If you could have one super power, what would it be? Time Travel
Comedy or Horror? Horror
If you could build a house anywhere, where would it be? Nice Suburb with good schools and nice people - let me know if you know of any!!
What is your greatest ambition? To have my daughter accomplish all she dreams of, and for me to be her inspiration someday
Who is the person from you past you wish you could go back and talk to? JFK
What characteristics do you think you've inherited from your parents? None, I hope... Red-headed Irish temper with men
What do you never leave home without? My keysq
Who would you most like to meet? Someone who made it through similar situations - how did they make it?
If you had a million dollars, what would you do with it? Buy a modest house, reliable car, invest 100,000 (college?) and help individual people more so than companies.
What is the most embarrassing thing youve ever done? Sleep walking while at the hospital - ran into a wall and broke my nose and had 2 black eyes! (I sleep walk a lot..)
Hobbies and Talents : I used to do local theater before I had a child. I play guitar and sing (well enough apparently to win karaoke contests..) I had (HAD) a full scholarship to Simmons in Boston (but had my daughter instead. Being a ward of the state did have something to do with the scholarship anyhow I'm sure..) I Volunteer regularly at daughter's school, participate in boosters for soccer when she played. I can ride and train horses.. and I have a real knack for training Dogs.
List achievements and any future educational plans : I won a National Speech writing contest in High School - Titled "The Voice of America". I have taken courses in Phlebotomy and Medical Assisting and have taken the H&R Block Income Tax course.
Future Plans - I really want to go to school and get my CNA or LNA, then work so I can support going to school to be an RN. I am also VERY interested in going to school for Theraputic massage, but it takes upwards of 8 years, so it may have to be an "after Nadia moves from home and is established" type of goal.
Current plans - I want to have a successful Pet Sitting business. "All Creatures Great and Small". Cross your fingers for me - I have the Marketing out there, flyers and a free web-site. Will do more as I reach financial stability.
Photos Of Tricia
(Photos: 3 | Views: N/A | Last upload: May 11th, 2009 )
Here is my gorgeous daughter Nadia, with several of her school friends that traveled 3.5 hours almost EVERY weekend to visit her. They were an amazing source of support for her. These are some great kids - no judgemental acts, they treated her like they always had. The nurses were amazed, and told me that this is the most healing thing she could have at the time. I believe it.
This was Nadia's Halloween Costume for 2008 - the last pre-accident Halloween. She is amazing.
Sadly - this photo was taken the night before the accident. I had just taken her to the mall to get new clothes and pj's (as you see here) and she was modeling them.
Bookmarks
CaringBridge site kept for daughter - This is the site I "blogged" on to update everyone from the hospital as to how Nadia was doing. Too much raw emotions still for me to look back at, but someday I will - and hopefully draw strength from it.
Our first order!It may not be much, but I got a custom order to make 5 twig pens (you know how they have twig pencils and crayons - well I am earning 17$ by making these for some womans wedding.
Our website: www.nlydian.etsy.com does not have a lot of differant items for sale, but we do things more on the concept that if there is something you need crafted - custom - we do all kinds of neat things, all the customers have to do is ask. There is also a part on the website where people can request something to be handcrafted and us crafters place bids on the jobs and explain how we will get it done. I have been placing a lot of bids - they are all just small odd jobs that do not pay much, but money is money.
Not to mention it is great to be able to earn money by doing unique crafts with my daughter - that ensures we will have a "close" summer. >>>
Description: Single mom of one needs to get back on her feet after child was recently disabled in a car
accident, 3 days later we suffered an apartment fire that caused a lot of loss and damage
and we have been the victim of theft. I have no income since my daughters 4 month
hospitalization, and will not be able to return to a job until she is better medically -
currently she requires 24/5 care.
My progress: I have applied for all local town, state and other researched assistance. I have not yet
recieved any assistance other than food from the local food bank and $30 in gasoline from
the town to transport my daughter to her 3 times weekly Physical and Speech Therapy. A
friend of mine gave me a set of couches and some dishes to replace what was lost in the
fire. Nadia's elementary school held a benefit which provided us with a $200 grocery
store card.
This is a short term need assistance request for a family of 1 adults & 1 children
My message:Tragedy and Hopelessness has struck my small family of my daughter and I recently. On December 15, 2008, she was involved in a life-threatening Head on collision with her Father and she came very close to dying. She broke her neck at C1 and her Skull, she only had a 1-2 percent chance of survival. After 4 months in Maine Medical Center, a month and a half of that in their ICU (SCU2), she was finally discharged to me - having a fused neck, healing gastonomy tube site, recently removed Trachea, a Shunt in her Brain from Hydroencephilitis she developed as a result of the crash, and 3 titanium rods. Amazingly, she was not paralyzed - other that one vocal chord and partially her tongue. She is in constant need of care, supervision and 3 time weekly speech and physical therapy. I have already recieved one miracle in having her life - but so soon now, we are in need of another- Financially. I lost my job shortly after she was hospitalized and my meager saving was quickly eaten up. I refused to leave her side, especially while she was in ITC.
Three days after her car accident and 7 days into a power outage in our hometown 2 hours from the hospital, we had an apartment fire, likely caused by propane heaters set up by my landlord in efforts to keep the pipes from freezing. I did not find out about it until a month and a half either - when I finally went home, leaving my daughter with her father staying at the hospital with her. My entire kitchen and all that goes in the kitchen was a loss. Not only was every pot, pan, utencil and more gone (thrown away), but the rest of my apartment and it's contents suffered, in most cases, ruined items from smoke and soot damage. I filed against my landlord, but nothing worked out in my favor - other than I wasn't responcible for rent while the apartment was condemmed and they were not responcible to reimburse me for my property or depriving me of "enjoyment of my rented property". Unbelievable...
So, those four months and up to now, not only have I had a lot of bills add up that I have been unable to pay, but I also had to move into another apartment last minute to ensure that my daughter had a home to come back to. We DO qualify and will likely begin receiving some sort of State and Town welfare, but that may not begin until the mid-end of summer and I desperatly need to get some of these bills caught up and pay for our day to day living expenses. We do not have Cable or anything fancy. Heck, we still don't have a trash can, but my daughter is alive and we have so much quality time that I had taken for granted before. We never really sat in the lap of luxury, I just want to be able to GET BY until some of this disaster is further behind us and not shadowing the furute so much.
I am forever grateful that I discovered this site, and think that all the members are some pretty great people. "Ask and you shall recieve" comes to mind. It is amazing to find so many caring people. I hope that some of you will be touched by our story and feel moved enough to give us a boost up in life at a time that we so desperatly need it.
If you would like to learn more of my daughter's car accident, I kept a "blog" for all of her friends, family and school mates could keep updated with all the news regaurding her recovery without me making a ton of phone calls. Here is the link:
www.caringbridge/visit/nadiabowley.com
I think that you will have a MUCH better idea of all that we went through if you were to read through her trials and amazing recovery. We have so much to feel blessed for and someday in the near future we can return the kindness to others, but for now, we will be in the catagory of those in need.
Thank you to all for taking the time to read this!
Supporting Documentation: Tricia has the following documentation
Do you qualify for any additional help?: I qualify for food stamps, housing and utility assistance, and welfare - under Child in Need, not TANF. From what I am told, there is a welfare that assists single parents who are unemployed because they need to care for their child 24/7
What local/other agencies have you contacted?: Town of Kingston NH
Dept. of Health and Human Services NH
Salvation Army Food Bank
Pet Spay Neuter assistance for our cat.
Did you get denial letters? (if so are they attached to your request?): None yet - none expected unless I miss a meeting or neglect to mail something, which I do not intend on doing.
What other sources of income do you or your family receive?: $699.99 in the name of my daugher in Disabilty/Social Security monies regaurding her Father - it is under HIS disability.
$100/ week for unknown short period for assisting a small business straigten out their books.
Progress:
$ (0%)
Still needed: $999
Request was active: 456 days
Request created: May 6th, 2009 | Request views: N/A | Request modified 1 time(s) | Last modified: May 6th, 2009
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Member Since: 05/02/09 | Login Count: 33 | Profile Views: 991 | Last Login: 07/20/09 
