I am in a very tricky situation in my life right now, which has been a long time coming and one that I saw as a possibility from a mile away. I am a 29-year-old Mexican-American male who faces multiple disabilities, conditions, and disorders. Unfortunately, none of them, by themselves, is considered severe enough to qualify me for any substantial government aid. To add to the complexity, I don’t “look disabled,” so my struggles are often invisible to those around me.

I’ve had extremely severe and atypical dysgraphia since I was born which I was diagnosed with when I was around 7 or 8. Dysgraphia is a fine motor control disorder which makes it difficult and uncomfortable or painful to do things like write, play piano or guitar, use chopsticks (or a fork and knife in the fancy proper way for that matter), play video games, etc. While it was always difficult, the condition began getting much worse in my early 20s and has continued to worsen as I’ve reached my late 20s.

Now, my hands cramp and hurt constantly, which leaves me in pain whenever I try to type or write for long periods. And what is weird and especially challenging is my right hand has gotten worse than my left hand has in terms of weakness and lack of stamina, and I am right handed, so now I have to do basic tasks like clicking my mouse with my left hand. This makes it difficult to keep up with tasks, especially in jobs that require a lot of typing, like the data coordinator role I had earlier this year. But also, it would make it impossible for me to be trained to do any blue collar jobs where one "works with his hands." This even extends to simple jobs like cooking or dishwashing!

On top of that, I also have dyslexia, making reading and processing information a daily struggle. More recently, I’ve been experiencing cognitive issues, including memory loss, which makes it difficult to retain information and focus on tasks. It is so bad that I am actually getting a full battery of neuropsychological testing done very soon.

Since February of this year, I’ve been battling extreme fatigue. I was finally diagnosed with sleep apnea in May, and while I started using a CPAP machine in July, it has only helped reduce my tiredness by about 30%. I’m still constantly fatigued and fighting to stay awake throughout the day, which has affected my ability to work and function normally.

In addition to all of this, I also suffer from severe Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS), which means I have stomach aches and cramps on most days, at work, I was going to the bathroom around 5 - 9 times per workday, further complicating my ability to maintain consistent work or a stable lifestyle.

Despite these challenges, I’ve always tried to be as self-sufficient as possible. In June, I secured my first career-type job as a data coordinator with a $60,000 salary—a role that I was incredibly proud to have landed. However, my health challenges soon caught up with me. My hand pain, memory issues, and constant fatigue severely impacted my performance, and despite trying various methods to improve—like memory supplements, energy drinks, and adjusting my ADHD medication—I just couldn’t keep up. By the end of August, I was fired from the job I had worked so hard to get.

After that, I took a temporary job to stay afloat, but that role just ended on October 11th. Now, I am waiting to hear back from the Social Security Administration (SSA) regarding my disability claim, which I have been pursuing for years. I missed a critical hearing in August due to work commitments and difficulties contacting the SSA, and while I’m working to get my case reviewed, it’s a lengthy process.

Right now, I’m struggling to pay my rent and meet basic living expenses. What makes this situation even more urgent is that my parents are cosigners on one of my private student loans through Discover. If I fall behind on my payments for more than 60 days (starting October 16th), the lender will start garnishing funds directly from their bank accounts. This is completely unacceptable to me—much more so than even the thought of becoming homeless myself. I cannot allow my financial struggles to negatively impact my family, especially after all they’ve done to support me.

And get this, my phone just stopped charging regularly last week and now it randomly stops responding, then spontaneously restarts every once in a while and it loses its charge quite quickly, so I am going to need to purchase a new smartphone sometime in the relatively near future as well on top of all this.

I’m reaching out through this campaign because I need help to stay afloat while I await a decision on my SSA case. The funds raised will go toward covering my rent, student loan payments, and basic living expenses like groceries until I can get back on my feet or receive the support I’ve been fighting for.

I know that life is challenging for many right now, and it’s incredibly difficult for me to ask for help. But any contribution, no matter how small, will make a world of difference in helping me maintain some stability during this uncertain time.

I want to make it absolutely clear that I have tried my best to avoid having to go on disability or SSI, I even worked really really hard to obtain a Master of Science in data analytics engineering degree during the pandemic while homeless for part of the time I was pursuing it and during another time, while taking care of my mother in a hospital in Spain, who was incoherent after hitting her head after slipping in the rain, and I was still somehow able to pass my machine learning course that semester while doing this. But school is not like work, and while I was able to finish that program, school was titanic struggle for me given all of my issues as well.

Thank you for reading my story, and for any support you can offer. I’m deeply grateful for your kindness and generosity.