I am a single father with a son who has primary residence with me. A majority of the financial burden for him is mine. My son broke his arm over a year ago, and the break required surgery to have it reset with pins. As you can imagine, watching a child go through this pain is heart wrenching and also worrisome as I knew the medical bills would ensue.
During this period I also began to have indescribable panic attacks. My heart would elevate to 110 beats per minute while I was at rest. This was accompanied by heart palpitations, labored breathing, lightheadedness, confusion, and an overwhelming feeling of doom – almost like I was going to die. I was one who thought that panic attacks were “all in one’s head”. That was until I started having them myself. After multiple doctor’s visits and tests, a mass was found on my thyroid. Ultimately it was the cause for my unexplainable physical ailments and required removal through surgery.
These two combined incidents in such a short span of time put a large amount of stress on me emotionally and physically. I knew that as a single income parent it would take me a long time, possibly years, to pay off the various bills associated with two surgeries – even with insurance. Fortunately, the masses were benign and no further treatment has been needed.
I applied for the Staff Emergency Fund in September 2010 and was granted a $500 award. It has been just one year since these emergencies, and I am almost caught up with my medical bills. The burden was eased with the financial assistance that I received, and I am so grateful for the help.