Hi, My name is Jessica. My husband Mike and I just moved to missouri from Arizona because we could not afford to live there anymore and we thought we might have more opportunities for jobs here. We were wrong. We have had nothing but troubles since we have moved here. Let me begin, we moved into a rental property that we cannot afford, the management company told us that it was the only house in the entire springfield metro area (including cities up to 25 miles out) that would allow our older rottweiler who has medical problems. We made the sacrifice to take care of him and chanced not being able to afford the rent, which is a blazing $800 a month. We also did't have air conditioning for 3 weeks out of our first month, the rental company didn't want to fix it, until we threatened them with the Health Department. We expected to find jobs pretty soon. It took me seven weeks to get hired on at Wal-Mart making $7.00 an hour, and I have to beg them to give me full time hours, which they did. So I generally get (if I am lucky) between 34-37 hours a week. I work very hard, any hours available and volunteer to be called in if they need me to replace someone elses shift. Mike on the other hand, has not been able to find a job. He has applied everywhere possible (at least 4 applications a day to different places, some online, some face-to-face) It has now been 3 months and nothing. Well, one week he was not able to turn in applications, or go to intweviews, because one saturday night, we was attacked. Two large, drunk men, who we didn't even know attacked him and brutally assaulted him. The police came and a report was made, but the men were never found. This happened in a parking lot not but 5 minutes from our house. We had to go to the emergency room because he was seriously injured. They had managed to beat his head into the concrete pretty bad. He had fractures in his face, and whip-lash, and a pretty bad neck injury. He had a black eye and nerve damage to his face and neck. We had to go back to the emergency room about 4 days later because he didn't feel quite right, and the doctors told us that he had post concussion syndrome. His eyes had been dilating in and out quickly, and his blood pressure wasn't right, and his heart was beating strange. The total bill for the hospital, came to about $4000. We contacted Victims of Violent Crime Compensation of Missouri to see if they could help pay for some of the bills. They denied him, because they didn't catch the men? Not sure why. On top of that bill, he has to see a family practice doctor once a month for medications that run us about $400 each fill. She recommends either continuing the medication for a long time, or getting a surgery that has about a 33% success rate and costs between $80,000 and $100,000 to do. We have been delinquent on our bills several times, and have resulted to food stamp benefits, which we think should go for people that need it worse than us, like families with children, but we wouldn't eat if it wasnt for that help. We get less than $100 a month. We basically have lived on tuna sandwhiches and eggs. Once a week I try to fit in some ground beef and rice. We are falling harder and harder, and I feel like my body is about to give out. More than that, I am scared. We have no support system. No money, If anyone thinks that they can help us out with money to pay our bills, or to buy some food, or to help with the prescrpitions that would be great. Or, If you have a job availible in the Springfield, Mo metro area that would be good for Mike, let us know. He had an assosciated degree in computer related field and some experience with computer repair, installation, and such. But he doesnt have to do that. Keep in mind that his injury limits him physicially (meaning he cant lift 50 lbs continuously) though he is pretty strong. Thank you.
