A little help for my friend?

[kat_lair]

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A favour please...

trialia is a a dear friend of mine. We met through fandom many years ago, quickly met in real life and shared a city and lots of great times for several years. Despite dealing with multiple disabilities and medical issues, she is one of the most cheerful, kind and selfless people I know. When I was living in Manchester we saw each other regularly, watched movies, geeked out, cat sat for each other etc. Living close by also meant I was able to help her out with housework or other everyday tasks that are easy for me but difficult for her.

Right now, my friend is struggling, financially and in coping with the state of her home. And it's killing me that because of distance, I can't just pop over for a couple of hours to help out.

Please can I ask you to take a look at trialia's GoFundMe page, consider donating a little something and/or spreading the word.

Thank you.
Kat

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Comments

[milly-gal.livejournal.com]

Shared!

[kat-lair.livejournal.com]

Thank you, appreciated

[(Anonymous)]

Fuck me. Kat, now Wheelchair Services are saying my flat isn't accessible enough & they won't return my wheelchair til it is, if you can believe that! >_

[trialia]

Sorry, forgot to sign in...

- Tria x

[kat-lair.livejournal.com]

!!!??? How does that make sense... You don't need to be wheeling around the flat and there's surely room to store it in there so... Does not compute.

On related note, I can come on Thu night (late as teaching in Canterbury until 5) and stay until Sun midday. So that's two full days of clearing stuff. I will come and help babe but we will need to sort some stuff into charity shops, otherwise there just won't be enough storage to keep things tidy.

[trialia]

I don't right *now*, but I will later in the year (when winter hits), & they accused me of lying in my assessment & saying I needed it indoors all the time when I don't - but I never did say I needed it indoors 24/7, I said in winter and poor weather I used it indoors, & that I would need to do so more as time passed, & that I need it outdoors full-time. So they're essentially accusing me of getting an indoor/outdoor powerchair from the NHS under false pretences, & punishing me by trapping me in my home unless and until I can clear it up sufficiently that they think it is accessible enough to get the new chair around in every room. Yes, really every room, despite the fact that I've been sleeping on the sofa for months & that I shouldn't take the electric chair into the wetroom anyway. I was so angry reading that letter I actually shook.

Now, onto a slightly related but more pleasant subject, great to hear I get to keep you a bit longer this time :D also, Beth came up today & roped Char into helping us out with some cleaning & clearing out while they were both here - this was before I got the letter. So the hall closet is much tidier and lots of plastic wrapping & cardboard boxes ended up in the recycling bins, along with my broken vacuum cleaner, & one can now see floor & wall in the closet. I worked in the library, mostly, & got rid of lots of unnecessary old papers & boxes & bags, & it's now possible to (a) sit down in there, (b) reach the window without climbing over loads of stuff, & (c) stand on actual floor in front of said window. But ye gods, my back is killing me now. I'll have to beg my GP for extra Oramorph first thing Monday morning... =/ As for the charity shop thing, I thought I'd already agreed to that the last two times you brought it up, lol... *hugs* It'll be lovely to see you, whatever happens, & I have more Armitage audiobooks for us to enjoy while cleaning :D

[kat-lair.livejournal.com]

That's outrageous about the letter! Have you been able to get back to them at all yet/have someone to do that on your behalf? You could talk to your local Patient Advice/liaison service if there is one?

And oh yay about some clearing up happening! That's really great. Makes for a good starting point!

And no hun, I haven't seen any messages/emails/texts etc of you consenting to the charity shop strategy (hence me being gently dogged about it!) - but LJ is being crappy in general and we know your phone is having issues...

Anyways, have to run now (uni Open Day today so working) but I will book the train tickets tonight or tomorrow and will let you know about times etc.

[trialia]

Just a chair-related update, darling - HSW rang them this morning & they said they're going to come & reassess the accessibility of my home on December 9th. No prior notice of this visit, and no contact from them about my chair since that delightful threatening letter I mentioned before - cheeky bastards, forcing me to chase them up and hire a damn chair in the meantime while I have to wait for them to get their pitiful act together! >_<

I am so angry and frustrated right now. This is going to mean me hiring a chair for yet another week, another £40 I really can't afford to fork out on top of the £60 landline bill I need to pay this week or get cut off, and all this while I still have no disability benefit coming in.

Oh, that reminds me, I don't think I told you - they're granting me full Personal Independence Payment, which will ultimately amount to £559 per 4-week period, which is shiny - except that they've decided not to start paying it out until December 14th, even though they're supposed to pay any given benefit from the date of the original claim, including back-pay, and even then I won't actually get any money in my account until January 10th, because they pay it 4 weeks in arrears.

So basically, the DWP owe me approximately £2k, and it looks as though I'm going to have to chase the sods for it! I'd appeal the decision, except that that would mean (a) they wouldn't pay me a penny, even of my ongoing PIP from the original date they'd chosen, until the "mandatory reconsideration" was decided & put through, & (b) I'd risk losing some of what they've decided I can get, if they chose to reduce it from enhanced daily living and enhanced mobility to standard on one or both - which they might well do, if I show the capability to appeal, as it's happened to other people that way before now. So if I want it and want to get it without the decision on the amount being changed, just the date, I'm going to have to go through my MP for it. *faceplants* I'm not looking forward to all that palaver. Sigh. But I need the money. I didn't meet half my GFM appeal amount, & I owe Char £300 already. Ugh! If you owe them money they chase you so hard you might even be taken to court for it, but if they owe you...! FFS! D: The whole thing gives me a headache. Oh well. Must be done. And on the plus side, once they *do* start paying me, it'll be nearly double what I was getting in DLA, plus having the Severe Disablement Allowance added to my ESA, and that will help, at least.

How are you, sweetie? *hugs*

[kat-lair.livejournal.com]

Hey hun, thanks for the update. I had to read it through like three times to follow the internal illogic of all those decisions. Please let me know if there is something concrete I can do to help, whether that's loaning some money or something else. It's good news on the increased amount of money at least even if it's taking it's sweet time materialising...

*hugs*

[kat-lair.livejournal.com]

Hey hun. Haven't heard back from you via text so not sure if you got mine of if your phone is playing up. I transferred £150 over yesterday, let me know if you need more. <3