Like most of the world, life can be so uncertain right now. I have fallen on hard times due to unfortunate events. My story started in 2018, my granddaughter was in a nearly fatal car accident. My daughter and her children had to move into my house. That made it easier for us to collectively care for my granddaughter. The lower half of her body was broken, both legs were damaged, left leg ( ankle has 3 screws, the knee was damaged), right leg ( femur was broken and came through the skin), pelvic was crushed ( metal rod from hip to hip, and 3 blood clots in her lungs. It was bad. My granddaughter had to have around the clock care, so this was the way to always have someone with her, she was never left alone. She couldn’t care for herself at all outside the hospital bed.
At this point, there were already 2 other granddaughters and their babies living with me. Their parent is drug users, that’s why they were living with me. Both the girls were pregnant at the same time, delivering 3 months of each other. My daughters breastfeeding at the time of the accident. when they had to move in that increased the number to 12 living in my home. I was the only breadwinner in the house. Utility bills tripled to date, my light bill is over 2000, my water bill is over 1200. I'm a CNA, I work extremely hard, though I'm not paid what I'm worth, I love what I do and would never give it up. This line of work brings me joy.
For months we worked together to ensure the recovery of my granddaughter. Lord knows it wasn’t easy. We were sleeping all over the house.
Then a host of unfortunate events happen. I thought I would lose my mine or stroke out. At this point my bills were out of control, I was about to lose my home, I wasn’t able to make my mortgage payments on time. On August 19/2020 my niece had a stroke which left her blind and in ICU. On August 20/2020 my great grandbaby girl was born to my 16-year-old granddaughter. The baby was injured at birth, she was in IUC in another hospital. On August 21/2020 my daughter was found shot and unresponsive in a car in a store parking lot, she was in ICU in another hospital trauma unit.
I had to reduce my work week back to weekends only so I could care for my family members. I was literally running from hospital to hospital to the ICU units for visitations 3 times a day, I was driving up 60 dollars in gas about every 2 days in my old gas hog. Then everyone started coming home one week after the next. Now, I'm driving all day every day to doctors appointments, or back to the emergency room because of complications, I’m packing a gunshot womb twice a day that made me sick, crying tears of joy because she survived the attack. Still to this day she doesn’t know what happened, who attacked her, or why. The loss of blood has affected her memory, she forgets what she was doing from one hour to the next if distracted from what she is doing at times. so cooking is not allowed at any time for her, she has almost burnt this place down.
Now, from August 2019 to April 2020 I have been providing and caring for my family with very little money, I have nothing in my account. I’m only working 24 hours a week, bring home 394.00. Then the Covid-19 happened. I’m already overwhelmed, not eating or sleeping properly. My employer isn’t taking this pandemic seriously, because they weren’t providing the ppe’s as needed. When I would go to work on the weekends, there was never any available, and if so, you had to use them for the weekend. This became unacceptable. I remember one weekend, I had to stand out in the parking lot of the nursing home and wait for a nurse to bring me a mask so I could start work. Then family members started showing signs of covid. I became uneasy about working without what I needed to be available. I missed a couple of workdays because someone in the family was running a fever, it was extremely concerning. I had been working for the company for more than 5 years. There were more than 11 people living in my home, family members I was caring for.
At this point I was exhausted, I go to my employer, explaining my concerns, I asked for help. My request was if they would allow me to take some time off because my living arrangements at the time were too high risk because of the covid. I had the that I could use. I was only asking for a few weekends off. My employer didn’t even take them to consider my request. Even though they clearly were aware of my hardship, all that I was going through, I was told that all they could do is give me my separation papers. I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. This conversation took place on a Thursday when I call back the next morning to see if there was anything else could be done, because I wasn’t quitting my job. I needed my job. I was told by HR that there was nothing to do because my separation letter had already been sent to me. I wasn’t due back at work until that Saturday. The letter said that I had Quit. I tried to get unemployment, I waited from April until August before I got a response. I was denied. I appealed and was denied again. My employer stopped it.
I feel this was rehabilitation from my DON. I called Corporate on her November 2018 when my granddaughter had been in an accident. I had taken off 1 day because my granddaughter had to undergo 8 hours of surgery. I had to be there for her. I ask the DON could I use my PTO time. She said NO. I couldn’t understand how she could be so mean. I ask her why? She said it was because I had taken 1 day off the week before. That was because I had attended the funeral of my sister's son. my nephew. If I had known that my granddaughter would almost die in a car accident I would have made a better choice.
Creekside Health and rehab had 71 cases of covid in residents and 55 cases in employees including the Administrator who didn’t care about my hardship. I was only gone from there 3 weeks. I really dodged a bullet, although I can’t say that for my daughter.
I don’t know how I'm going to get back on track, but I’m grateful my family is doing well. Although we have lost a brother, sister, cousin, and nephew since 2018, 1 from covid, and 3 that recovered.
I need your prayers and anything else you can give.