Ok guys, so here’s the situation. A close friend of mine, @witheredrosesandshatteredglass, turned 19 earlier this week. As of today, they are homeless because they dared to stand up to a longtime abuser.
Throughout most of the fall, they had to deal with stomachaches so crippling that they could not eat. They went without food for almost three days once because they simply could not keep anything down. Often, they missed class because they were too physically weak to walk to class. Due in part (I think) to their compromised immune system during this time as a result of not eating, they also came down with strep throat and stayed sick for almost a month. Yet their mother warned them not to seek medical treatment for any of this, or they would have to pay for it out of their own pocket. (They have an on-campus job, but are only allowed to work 10 hours a week at minimum wage due to university regulations, so they cannot afford medical treatment themselves.)
Over winter break, their illness began to directly inconvenience their family, so when they took a turn for the worse, their mother grudgingly drove them to the hospital. The doctors ran some tests, and a huge ulcer was discovered in my friend’s stomach, as well as several smaller ones. Their mother was furious, blamed the ulcers on my friend for “eating too many greasy burgers” (when anyone with half a brain or Google at their fingertips knows that the formation of stomach ulcers is unrelated to what one eats), and as a result, refused to pay for any more tests or treatment. Three months later, my friend still suffers from the ulcers.
Their mother made good on her threat not to pay for the tests, too. She saddled my friend with the hospital bills from their visit. A college student with no insurance, limited income, and almost no savings, because this same woman has been mooching money off of them for years with only “you’re my daughter; I gave birth to you, so you owe me” as justification. (Notice the refusal to accept my friend’s nonbinary identity as well.)
Yesterday, they approached their parents about a stabbing pain near their hip, in the same spot where a year earlier, a series of doctor visits had revealed a suspicious lump near their ovary. No one knew what it was, so nothing was ever done about it. When they mentioned it to their parents, though, their mother demanded, “What do you want us to do, drive you to the hospital again?!” She then proceeded to get so worked up at their audacity in asking for help or advice that she flipped a table over, and shortly thereafter they contacted me, terrified for their safety.
Tonight, they went to their father and discreetly asked for help with the bills. Their mother overheard and accused them of trying to freeload off of her, insisting that she does everything for them and they never do a thing for her. When they protested, she threw them out of the house on their ear for daring to speak up in defense of themselves.
So now they’re homeless, two states away from their school, saddled with hospital bills and school tuition that they have no idea how they’re going to pay, and their bank account is controlled by the same woman who just booted them out. I’ve never asked for anything on here before, but Tumblr, if you’ve ever enjoyed my content or theirs or if you have even a penny of change to spare to help a homeless student, please consider donating to my friend’s PayPal at paypal.me/SaveASage. Anything you can spare would make a world of difference. Thank you so much for your help and understanding, and I will post updates on here as I get them.
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