Monique - Titusville, FL

Monique and her husband Bobby.
 

I definitely know I’m not alone when I say 2020 has not been the year I expected, but it’s shocking how quickly everything can get turned upside down.

It was in April when Bobby started experiencing some of the symptoms related to COVID-19. We called the doctor to try to get a test and were told to go to the emergency room. But with his high blood pressure and diabetes, Bobby was in one of the groups that was at the greatest risk and I didn’t want to take any chances. If he didn’t have COVID-19, he might catch it there.

Because Bobby is a Vietnam War veteran, I thought there might be other options, so I started making calls. Certainly they’re not going to forget about the veterans, I thought.

I cannot tell you how many places I contacted and received no response. Not a single phone call or even an email saying, “I’m sorry for your situation.” Even that would’ve been better than silence.

Bobby is so strong. He is one of the most courageous men I know, and he doesn’t ever complain. But for me, it was heartbreaking. Everyone wants to say they care about veterans and yet here we were, feeling all alone and left in the dark.

We never were able to get him tested. We had no choice but to make the right decisions for his health based only on the information we had. That meant he couldn’t return to his job because it’s not possible to social distance in the warehouse where he works. I also had to stop working to take care of him and reduce the risk of bringing the virus into our home.

It was during this very scary time when I saw an ad for the HealthWell Foundation that said they were providing assistance with health-related expenses to people who had been impacted by COVID-19. I immediately called.

It may sound strange, but after months of never reaching a real person everywhere else, I couldn’t believe it when a HealthWell representative picked up the phone. She was so kind and understanding and Bobby was approved for a grant on the spot.

As a donor to HealthWell, you impacted my family in a way I don’t think you’ll ever know. When I got off the phone that day, everything negative that had been bottled up inside me had gone out the door.

I realized that the amount of the grant wasn’t what mattered, my search had become a desperation for some kind of empathy.

I was raised to be kind and loving, and Bobby and I do our best to be giving people. I am also a prideful person, and asking for help was not a position I ever expected to be in. So, each time I received no response, I wondered “Why did I even ask?”

HealthWell has made it clear that they are happy to help. What’s more, it has been inspiring to learn that HealthWell’s emergency COVID-19 funds are supported entirely by HealthWell’s individual and corporate donors.

The fact that you have donated your hard-earned money to make sure HealthWell would be there to help Bobby and me means the world to us. The grant didn’t take all our worries away, but it gave us hope at a moment we needed it most.

Monique (Titusville, FL)

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