October 2012: Yeliz

Imagine you are hardworking person, with desires to pave your way in the world, but an illness, out of your control, keeps knocking you down. You do everything in your power to stay healthy and to keep moving forward, but this illness requires constant attention. This is unfortunately the story of many people, including our October recipient, Yeliz. Yeliz has been struggling with mental illness for some time and currently seeks treatment for schizophrenia. She requires medication as well as on-going therapy to keep her healthy and productive. On top of the hard work it takes for her to stay healthy, she cannot get insurance because her schizophrenia is currently considered a pre-existing condition.

Over the last few years Yeliz has not been able to afford therapy or her medication. Once her medication ran out, Yeliz started to hallucinate and became suicidal and delusional, which resulted in a 10-day stay at an inpatient center to get stabilized again. Yeliz was able to get stable, and move forward, but her expenses have become overwhelming. With the denial of coverage from the insurance company she is left with therapist, medication and hospital bills that keep piling up.

Yeliz is dedicated to keeping herself healthy, but the only thing in her way is the high cost of doing just that. As members of her community, we can come together to help Yeliz keep moving forward. Her mental health will be a challenge for her entire life, but with our help, it is a challenge that she can manage with the right care and the right support. Let’s help Yeliz keep moving forward!