I have been feeling incredibly grateful of late. I have had a hard time handling my go of things, but so many people have gone well out of their way to help me. I think about this a lot, but something happened recently that reminded me just how lucky I am.

I had a plumbing issue that led to my landlord/neighbor to be in my bathroom. There was a lot of lime buildup around the toilet which has been there since I moved in. When he asked, I told him as such, and that a previous roommate was able to half clean it (a lot wouldn't come up), and I couldn't get down on the ground long enough to try either. About a week later, the problem resurfaced and we had to have a plumber out, but due to my work schedule, they were going to be there when I was not. After the plumbers left, but while I was still at work, Doreen, my landlord's wife, came and cleaned the lime simply because I wasn't able to. This is just the most recent thing that my landlord and his wife have done to help me. When my previous roommate told me he was leaving, I asked my landlord if he had any studios because I wouldn't be able to afford our apartment on my own. I did not work very much in the previous year because I was so sick, and I was anticipating IV antibiotics impacting my ability to work as well. He gave me several leads both with him and others that he knew about. Later, Mike pulled me aside to let me know that he and his wife were going to offer me a (significant) discount on my rent because of a) my circumstances and b) I'm the quietest tenant he has had below him. 

I am also incredibly grateful for my parents and how they have helped me during this time in my life. I have always paid (at least a portion of) my phone and car insurance since I got my first job. At some point, my parents took over the payments for me because they knew I was struggling to work. I don't know how long they have been paying it because they didn't even tell me. They saw that I was struggling and they were just there. Last spring, my car, Lucy, (which I was still making payments on) died, and knowing there's no way I could get a new car while still making payments on Lucy, sold me their spare car with a (significantly) deferred payment. 

IV antibiotics cost me a total of just over $600 a month with all of the supplies. I am fortunate enough that my grandparents are in a position to help me with a significant portion of this cost. I have had significant improvement in symptoms since starting this treatment, and without my grandparents' generosity, I would not be able to receive this treatment. 

My coworker, Amanda, has dropped everything to help me out of an emergency, more than once. She drove me to Grand Forks after my car broke down. She has last-minute-covered me at work more times than I can count. She picked me up from my PICC procedure when my original ride fell through suddenly. She's driven me home from work when I was too sick to drive several times. She brought me all of my prescriptions when I was quarantined. She's always there when I need her, and I am so grateful for her.

This past fall/winter was extremely difficult for me due to a treatment that I was on. I had extreme confusion that would come and go with no real warning. This medication impacted my emotions and behaviors pretty significantly as well. I was reckless and angry and sad for no real reason but all so intensely and explosively. Despite how it must have been living with a person in this state for months on end, Seng, my roommate at the time, did everything he could to help. He drove me to and from work every day. He cooked dinner for me at least every other day. He pushed me in my wheelchair at work when my arms were too tired, and he pushed me on the trails because I wasn't able to take walks myself anymore. 

This is just what has been on my mind recently, and I don’t know how I will ever repay these people. I could not have made it this far without them.