Hello all. I would like to preface this by saying any beneficial advice or constructive thoughts would be greatly appreciated. Thank you for taking the time to read this.
I am a 19 year old male currently in my second year of University. I was raised by my grandparents all my life due to my parents’ crippling drug addiction. To spare details, I was closer to them as a child but as I grew older, their addiction also grew and consumed their lives. I distanced myself more and more from them. Right after I graduated in 2016, my father passed away at 41 from a drug overdose. This sent my life spiraling into a whirlwind of uncertainty.
My mother had nothing after he passed. She lost her job and her housing. Spent 8 months living in motels/friends couches completely lost in every sense of the term. Let it also be known that their irresponsible lifestyle has led her to have destroyed credit, active credit card debt, and no savings what so ever to fall back on. Her parents (my other set of grandparents who I am also close to) took her in briefly but soon kicked her out when they found out she was using again. During these 8 months, she collapsed in a public store and when she was hospitalized they found malignant tumor growths on her kidneys and urinary tract. Her health has been steadily declining since and it has been a fight to get her insurance to help cover her expenses. She also has been diagnosed with Radial Nerve Palsy and her dominant hand is now only semi functioning. The only good to come from all of this is that, for the first time in her life, she seems emotionally ready to overcome her addiction. She wants to live and wishes to rekindle our relationship and become a new person. A stark 180 from the mother I knew.
More context. Before my Dad passed, he had broken his leg on the job and my parents were locked in a workers comp suit with his employer. During this time all 3 of us were on Medicaid benefits. After he passed, there was a settlement in the suit and I was awarded a small (but still substantial) amount of money by our lawyer. As soon as my Mom’s issues were found, our Medicaid benefits were revoked due to my mother not submitting a piece of verification that they requested. It’s been roughly 6 months since then and we only recently got her (and myself) reenrolled in the program through the assistance of a social worker at the hospital she received treatment at. During the gap, I have drained a majority of the money awarded to me from the suit and my own personal savings to pay for her health care since she has been uninsured. She has had to move into my apartment as well. It has been a nightmare. Almost twice a week, she has been waking up in extreme pain due to kidney stone production from her tumor or covered in blood from the tumors in her urinary tract. Constant biopsy’s and chemo pills under no insurance took most of my money.
It’s been an internal struggle to keep supporting her. I have had a hard time saying no when she is suffering on this level. But I feel that she has been mentally changing and growing as a person through this experience.
Everything seemed to slowly be getting better but yesterday we received a letter informing us that her benefits have been suspended due to her brief incarceration (5 months ago she was caught driving on a suspended license). I cannot afford to go through another period of her being uninsured and it will ruin me. Supposedly her benefits will be reinstated but everything is uncertain.
What can we do ? She is not medically cleared to work and I have a university job that can truly only support myself. I really want to help her get her life on track but as of right now I feel lost and hopeless. Any guidance would be appreciated.
Thank you.
Submitted March 06, 2018 at 11:05AM by SweetGeorgiaJam http://ift.tt/2Hdcw9d
