Help Melissa On Her Fibromyalgia Journey

Hi everyone!

My name is Melissa. I was diagnosed with fibromyalgia in February last year, 2023. It is still very new to me. Before that, I was diagnosed with anxiety, depression, and irritable bowel syndrome, only to find out last year that these conditions fall under the umbrella of fibromyalgia.

I'm only 36 years old and a mother to one beautiful son. My husband is the only breadwinner, but with all my medical issues, it is difficult to stay afloat. So far, I have had two back operations, a hysterectomy, and a gallbladder removal. We had to take out bank loans and credit cards to cover all the costs. We have accumulated almost half a million in debt covering the medical burden over the years.

We have started the baby steps presented in The Total Money Makeover by Dave Ramsey to get out of debt. At the start of this campaign, we are on baby step 1 (Save 000 dollars as a starter emergency fund) and have a third of it saved. We have moved into a small separate entrance and sold most of our furniture to get started.

When we move to baby step 2, we will...