30 Year Old Mom With Disabled Son Seeks Poverty Busting Grant Money
by Rhonda Bryant
When I was seventeen, I was told I could not have children. However, I was blessed with two very beautiful children: one boy and one girl. Our son was considered disabled when he was about one year old. The doctors said that his skull had quit growing, yet his brain was still growing. We were facing to have to put plates in his head to keep his brain from being damaged. Thankfully, his skull started growing in time. What a relief. He is still considered disabled because he is developmentally behind. He has attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, and is now being tested for autism. We have always been on the poverty scale. Our family and my husband's sister and kids had moved to South Carolina in the same house to save money. We all are buying the home from their uncle. My husband is now attending school for a better education and a good job. I am a stay-at-home mom because my children need me. My son's condition makes it very hard for a babysitter. Our house is falling apart. I had to sell my car to get the money to fix our septic tank. Now, our hot water heater went out. We need to get more energy efficient appliances because our bills are outrageous. It's $500 for the power bill alone. The bathroom and kitchen floor needs replaced. The air unit went out. We have window units to keep cool. The heat ducts are torn under the house. We are trying to get things fixed one at a time, but it is getting overbearing. I stay in good spirits because of the kids. There are five all together. They do not need to see me stressed out. Our families are receiving some help from the social services and social security office. We all have Medicaid and are receiving food assistance. My husband's sister, her daughter and my son are getting social security benefits. However, my son's check was stopped because I was not able to get some paperwork to them. I am still working on getting it together. We have gotten help with our power bill once from the Christian ministries here. My husband had worked as a delivery driver, but it was costing him more than he made to keep up the truck. He is now attending school to get a good job. Education is very important. I am looking for a grant to help us get caught up on our bills and fix our home. As I said, we have very low income. I would love to get enough help to finally be out of poverty and have a decent home for our children to grow up in. We just need a little help to finally be stable.
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