Here’s a bit of history. Two years ago I was released from my job. It was a big blow for me, as it would be for anyone. The ‘what am I gonna do now’ question was on repeat in my head. Like most people I came home and immediately started applying for new jobs while I also applied for unemployment benefits.
One week goes by. No word from anywhere. Two weeks go by; still no word. Now a month and nothing. I finally got ahold of the unemployment office and they told me they were short handed and everything was taking longer than usual. Fine, I get that. It happens. I continued to spend my meager savings and using my credit cards to pay my bills. (I know, stupid right?)
Nearly two months have gone by with zero job interviews and still no word from unemployment when I finally got a monetary determination letter from the unemployment office; I was denied. I went straight to my computer, filed an appeal, and waited. 3 weeks later my appeal was heard; the denial was upheld.
So just over 3 months after I was released from my job I went from relatively debt free, save for my mortgage and my monthly bills, to maxed out credit cards, facing the first missed mortgage payment, no job prospects, and my lifelong battle with depression was being lost. I was spiraling down a long dark path. On top of all this my father started to lose his battle with cancer.
There was a small light. I found a job. It didn’t pay well and the hours weren’t guaranteed, but it was a job. It wasn’t just that I was desperate for work, but I also wasn’t able to apply for different types of job I had done in the past. I’ve had back issues for many years which I have since found out were being cause by scoliosis. I’m not able to stand for extended periods of time, or walk long distances. All that had made me gain weight. Which all in turn fuels my crippling depression.
To compound that depression, my father lost his epic fight with leukemia two days after Christmas last year. So nearly a year into this journey of losing my job, being deep in debt, and getting a new job that pays nearly 3 times less, the hero of my life is gone. I spiraled, hard. I would leave the house for work and nothing else. My fantastic friends would try and engage me, and I would barely; it was all a mask. I was at the bottom of a very dark hole with ropes all around me. There were notes attached to those ropes from friends and family telling me to just grab one but I couldn’t wrap my fingers around anything.
Life continued this way till early summer. Then another hit came. While at work I was twisting to get in and out of a vehicle I didn’t quite fit into and my back completely went out. It started to spasm and didn’t stop for nearly 3 weeks. I filed a workman’s comp claim along with a supplemental insurance (the only insurance I was able to afford to get) claim. Both were denied. Then work slowed to a crawl. I continued to apply for other jobs with no luck. I applied for unemployment and actually received it this time but it barely covered my mortgage.
That’s when the garnishments came. Remember those credit cards from earlier, yeah, the credit card companies don’t like it when you can only pay a third of the minimum payment so they send those to collections. They froze a chunk of money in my checking account which made my mortgage check bounce along with a couple of other bills. The financial hole I was trying to dig out of just had a cave in.
All this brings me to my current situation and why I need your help. I am nearly 3 months behind on my mortgage which is close to the foreclosure point. I have exhausted my unemployment and I don’t have an extension option, my family has helped me as much as they can, and I still am not having any luck finding a new job.
Thank you for your time.
The Average Movie Nerd 