I am 37 years old. I have been at home with my kids for the past 7 years due to the fact that I am physically unable to hold a job. I originally stayed home when my youngest daughter was born, because we could not afford day care. I was working only to pay daycare and we just couldn't justify the time away from the kids just to pay for daycare. About two and a half years ago I came through ovarian cancer and ever since then my health has been in a steady decline. I have RA and Osteo Arthritis throughout my body and it makes it very difficult for me to hold full time employment. I know my husband does all that he can to provide for our family and I love him very much for that. It has been hard our family for a long time and I would just like the ability to breath for a bit.
We have children, and all our utilities are turned off, or about to be turned off. It is with this that we need help most urgently. It gets worse, I was just served a summons - I am being sued for a loan I havent been able to make payments on.
We were hit hard this year. We moved here for a job my husband was taking. They delayed his start date by a month, and then revoked the job offer because of 'internal problems', despite sending resumes out daily, the only job he's been able to find that he could get to (he cant drive, so he relies on public transportation) was a temporary job at a sub shop for 25 hours a week at $8 an hour. It lasted 6 weeks, and this was the best he could do with a Bachelors Degree!
Then 2 weeks after buying our house, I fractured my ankle and my company cut my schedule to 52 hours every two weeks without any reason other than they didnt want me being seen by customers on crutches or in my leg brace. The two times a month I saw potential customers I was required not to wear a medically required brace, or use crutches, and to wear high heels (i was not supposed to be wearing a shoe at all on my injured foot)!
It was 4 months before I got my full schedule back (october) but they then transferred me to a team that traveled to very poor rural cities, asking people to spend $2000 to train their kids to be models. 98% of the people where they were sending me couldn't afford basic things like car payments, so obviously, I was no longer making any of bonuses.
My son (17) then lost his job in November. Followed by my heart attack in February. My company took this opportunity to fire me 2 weeks after i got out of the hospital because I had not closed enough sales FROM MY HOSPITAL ROOM to make quota, and are vigorously fighting paying me unemployment because I was doing photography (not of anyone working with my company) on the side to try to make ends meet. They now say it was somehow related to the modeling business (it wasn't, I was doing product photography) and it violated their non-compete policy, so they argue they arent liable for unemployment.
It's been 3 months, and I have exhausted what savings we had. I am in pre-foreclosure, behind 2 car payments (it was that or not eat), my water gets shut off next week without a $120 payment, our gas was shut off yesterday (I need $900 to get it back on because of deposits etc now), I need to pay $95 by the 4th of june for our electric to stay on (payment plan) and if i dont come up with $185 by the 10th we will have no phone or internet. I've already given up my cel phone and my sons. I'm down to 1/2 a tank of gas and $24 and that $24 will buy charcoal and meat so we can cook on the grill (because we have no gas service).
My son had a job interview set for two weeks ago, but his car battery went out, and I cant afford to replace it, so he has no way to get to the interview or work.
We are desperate, and I dont have family to turn to (my grandmother is in the hospital in a coma now 800 miles away, my father is dead, his mother is in an assisted living place, and my mother is disabled). I am at the end of my rope.
My health is poor, and my left leg is rodded (i dont walk so well), but the bright spot at the end of the tunnel is that I've finally got a contract graphic design from home job that I am up for (I'll know next week, please pray for me that the job will happen and I'll do well) but if I lose my internet/phone on the 10th, it wont be possible.
If anyone can help in any way, I can provide my addresss so they can make a donation directly to our utility company account. If anyone in northern illinois has a battery for a 95 ford probe to donate, I could give our address for it to be droped off to so my son can work. I'm praying that someone out there can see fit to help me save my family.
God bless.
