Depression And Arthritis Disabled Woman Seeks Grant For Life Saving Vehicle

by Alice
(San Antonio, TX, USA)

I am a 58-year-old woman who has never been married or had children. My only close family are my brother, sister-in-law, and adorable 6-year-old nephew.

Unfortunately, they live about thirty miles away, out in the country, and I don't get to see them very often due to their hectic schedules.

My other family members all have four legs and tails: four cats and two dogs, without whom I probably would have given up a long time ago.

My friends have all died or moved away for new jobs or to be closer to children and grandchildren.

I was diagnosed with chronic depression, agoraphobia and panic disorder in 1998. I have seen countless psychiatrists, psychologists and therapists, and have been put on almost every medication available at one time or another.

These wonderful people finally hit on a combination that has helped to keep me stable for several years now, although there are still some very bleak, painful periods in my life.

I also have arthritis in my hands and knees, which is causing a lot of problems right now.

My greatest hardship at the moment is that my beloved little car has finally given up the ghost. I depended on it to get me to doctors' appointments, the grocery store and the pharmacy.

Between the agoraphobia and the panic attacks, those are about the only places I went. Now I have to ride the bus.

The nearest bus stop is a half-mile from my house, which is an awfully long walk for someone with arthritic knees, especially in 102-degree heat.

Carrying groceries home on the bus is an exercise in pain with arthritic hands. It takes me roughly two hours to get to the pharmacy to pick up my prescriptions.

Worse yet, there are some places I simply can't get to on the bus and I have missed a number of doctors' appointments because of this.

My only income is SSI, for which I am profoundly grateful.

I've also been doing surveys online to earn gift cards to places like Lowe's and Home Depot in an effort to maintain my home, which also has a lot of problems, but I can't get to those stores on the bus, so I may give that up.

I would like to sell handmade greeting cards and jewelry online to supplement my income but with no car, I can't get to the craft stores to buy supplies.

My family used to help me out with small loans occasionally but they can't afford to do that any more with a child to raise.

All I need is a car or the money to buy one. It wouldn't have to be anything new or fancy, just something reliable. With my limited income, I'll never be able to buy another car.

My body is breaking down quickly under the strain of so much walking and carrying heavy packages, and the agoraphobia and panic attacks are increasing due to my forcing myself into new, unfamiliar situations. I'm really becoming afraid that I won't make it much longer.

I'm really not looking for a business grant unless someone just happens to have one lying around. I would be content to start my card and jewelry businesses on a very small scale and put any profit into growing them.