My Story
(Attention: As of 2018, I have been denied my disability benefits for the third time, and now I have lost my home. I am still fighting for disability income, but
it will take another year to even receive my next court date. And I will continue to receive absolutely no income until my case is accepted. After five years of fighting this disease and the
disability courts, I have lost everything. My apartment, my savings, my hope... So please, if you want to help, you can click on Donations.
Every little bit counts, and is GREATLY appreciated! Thank you.)
My name is Julie. I live in Florida. I developed Cholinergic Urticaria in April of 2013 after a tragic event. It immediately ruined my life. At the time, I was employed as a dance teacher and I
was working at a gymnastics gym that I absolutely loved. Of course after developing a condition where I break out in hives at the very moment of any physical activity, I was no longer able to
keep those jobs. And I soon realized that I could not do any job, let alone the things I once loved like dance and gymnastics. I became a shut in. It changed my appearance drastically. From lack
of exercise and coping with food, I soon gained almost 100lbs, and weighed in at 203lbs. I became unrecognizable to anyone who once knew me. This lead to a crippling development of agoraphobia,
and a toxic combination of apathy and depression. I stopped caring about all things. I could not force myself to do simple, daily tasks like bathing, brushing my teeth, brushing my hair, etc. So
needless to say, that also took a huge toll on my appearance. And I found out real fast just how much society judges based on appearance. I soon found myself with nothing; no income, no friends,
no family, no clothes that would even fit me! And soon I would have no apartment either. After six years of living on my own, working full time, paying my own rent and bills, I found myself
without a way to pay my cost of living. And as of 2018, I still have not been accepted for disability benefits. Even though the allergist said if I step outside in the warm weather, here in
Florida, for more than just a few minutes I could go into anaphylactic shock and die, my disease CU is still not recognized as a disability. It's scary enough not knowing what this horrible
disease is going to bring next, but now not knowing how I am going to afford to keep a roof over my head for the rest of my life? It's terrifying beyond words...
