Tammy got bored living in Belen and moved up to Albuquerque. Sue got bored and moved back to her mother's home in Denver. They found a guy and gal to move in and take care of me--these were people they'd just met! They were drug users who were too busy getting stoned to take care of me. All I asked for was milk, cereal and TV dinners.
They couldn't even keep me in food!
But they did pay me some attention--whenever I got some money. I gave one Dallas Labrum $13,500 as a home improvement loan, $2,500 for a truck to use in our "Antique Car" business, and $2,000 to build a porch that never was. I received $92,000 in liability insurance settlements and $30,000 for a house sale. It is all gone.
I had no Medicare insurance for the first 2 years I was disabled. Being uninsurable because I was disabled and not having Medicare (they make you sit tight newly disabled and uninsured for 2 years) I fell and broke my leg and wrist. Hospital, doctor and ER bills combined with 3 months of hotels, room service and pay-per-view combined with loans to "friends" led to me paying credit cards with credit cards. More on this sorry state of affairs coming up.
Friends paid a surprise visit from Springfield. They discovered drugs and needles in the bathroom I never went in and discovered me with no food. I weighed 116 lbs. I weighed 135 when we moved (and looked fine).
So they whisked me away to an Albuquerque Hotel. Their car had no room for me. They were traveling with a huge hairy dog and had bucket seats--no on would sit with him. I was living on my credit cards. I discovered room service and pay-per-view!
I flew back after a month in the hotel, waiting for my family to figure out what to do. They brought me back still not knowing what to do. Where I had lived, my father now lived, having turned "his" side of the duplex into his office.
So I spent another 2 months in a hotel. I couldn't stay with relatives because I smoke--they don't.
Arrangements were made (so I thought--I still trusted people) for me to live at a resident rehab for the brain injured to learn to live alone. Hooray! No more care givers to abuse me. Even nice care givers depress me. Seeing them moving to and from activities reminds me--I go nowhere, do nothing and it makes me feel truly disabled.
When I arrived at the center in a wheelchair I could only use by myself by pushing backwards with my right foot, I was told I was too disabled to stay there, too healthy for the inpatient hospital part, so go away.
It was then that I searched back through my scrambled brain for the OLD ANNE. I thought "She wouldn't take this garbage. She'd already have an apartment somewhere." I was already soaked in hotel bills, so I pleaded with my relatives "Find me an apartment. I can live on my own. You know I can. I don't need a clerk at the hotel 'watching out' for me. They do nothing!"
My cousin Lily found me an apartment--first floor, no steps, air conditioning, dishwasher and a pool. The Southwest Center for Independent Living put bars in the bathroom so I could use the shower with a shower chair.
I had to gripe but the landlord finally put a door stop on the front door of the building so I could get in and out of my own house! More griping got railings put in at the steps going into the pool so I didn't have to be lowered by neighbors, as I was the first year. The 2nd summer I didn't swim (see the upcoming "Forest Cove" section.)
The first year here went fine. My cousin made all the arrangements for me to live alone--Meals on Wheels, Home Health Care, a wrist buzzer if I needed help right away, and a wheeled office chair. This place is not wheelchair accessible and I wasn't walking with a cane yet.
1996 was lousy. I fell in my living room on my left wrist and spent all summer in a cast--no swimming. I fell because I was walking. YAY?!?
This year (It's now 7-10-97) has been very good. I haven't broken any bones. I am happy--I dog paddled across the deep end of the pool with no flotation device. My left side helped keep me up while the right went forward. No circles!!!!
I will add to the next section as things improve, which I'm sure they will. I go to bankruptcy court tomorrow. I hope they don't think I'm a crook--I just lost my money sense.