If you don’t know me already, my name is Ship. I’m a disabled, trans, single parent of an autistic preschooler. In January of 2015, ActionTot and I moved back in with my widowed mother to get out of an abusive home. Because I can’t work, we’re currently depending on her social security/disability check to get us through the month. We receive no financial assistance from my husband.
My mother’s house is beginning to fall apart. Our car needs a new engine. It feels like every time we get one thing fixed, something else needs replacing. I would go out and get a job if I was physically capable, but I’m not. Besides having to take care of ActionTot–he’s a loving, adorable, energetic handful–I have intractable epilepsy and PTSD, in addition to generalized anxiety and being on the spectrum, myself. Mom doesn’t work because she’s had several mini-strokes, in addition to severe migraines.
Life is stressful. Even though all three of us are currently insured, we still have medications to pay for. My psychiatrist doesn’t accept insurance, at all, so every visit is an out-of-pocket expense. ActionTot has multiple therapies to attend per week; between the three of us, we use the car frequently, and gas and maintenance aren’t exactly cheap. I receive food assistance, but that only covers ActionTot and myself. With the Trump administration bound and determined to kill the poor, Mom and I are constantly terrified that we’re going to lose all of the social programs that we desperately need to survive.
I feel like I’m begging, but I don’t know how else to ease the financial burden beyond asking for your help. If you’re able to, there are several ways that you can do so.
Purchase something from our family’s Amazon wishlist. Primarily, these are incidentals (shampoo, toothpaste, laundry detergent, etc), small appliances, and clothes and therapy toys for ActionTot.
Send me a tip via Ko-fi. This is the money I use to buy what I need for myself. Right now, I’m saving up for a good pair of shoes. (It also helps fuel my writing, and I let myself occasionally buy small things when I reach therapy goals.)
Join Swagbucks using my referral link. I use Swagbucks as my search engine and earn points for free, then trade those in for Amazon giftcards. I’ve never paid for anything on that site, and all I do is use it like Google.
I know how annoying it can be to see posts like this, and I never thought I’d be writing one, but my family needs help. You’re awesome for not just scrolling by. Thank you so much for reading. I appreciate your time. <3
