Back in 1999 I was working as an IT consultant for the Kentucky Department of Education building out the forward-thinking Kentucky Educational Technology System. This was a trailblazing $500 million dollar project bringing the internet down to student desks while networking the entire state. After working there for about five (5) years I was offered a dream job, making great money, doing a job I loved while living in the amazing state of Arizona.
My finances were really bad at that time and the job in Arizona was a Godsend allowing us to recover financially, clean up our credit, save and buy a home in 2007. We purchased a large home so my wife's parents could move in with us in order to take care of them.
Needless to say that did not happen because her mother fell ill and passed away in 2008. Her father couldn't really move because of his sons back east. During this time we were getting along financially but spending everything I was earning. The 2008 real estate bubble hit and we ended up upside down with our house and it was worth approximately 50% of what we paid for it. Until October 2012 I was working as a very successful IT professional in Scottsdale, Arizona; at which time my wife fell on Halloween and broke her hip. Since then she has had a lot of health issues and I dedicated myself to helping her and doing everything possible to nurture her back to health. My work cooperated (using FMLA leave etc) to do all that and work as well leading my team of approximately 20 engineers manage over 100 outsourced customers in our data centers across the US. The company was sold to a huge fortune 500 telecommunications company in the mid-west and I then became a number rather than a name (in a family like company that really cared).
In November 2014 while I was taking my wife to her orthopedic appointment and we were rear-ended while sitting at a red light by someone traveling in excess of 60 mph. To continue the slide of events they were not insured and skipped town leaving my attorneys to sue my insurance for recovery etc. Then we received a miracle from God.
In December 2015 my wife went into liver failure and only survived because of an actual miracle from God. Following all that in July 2016, due to years and years of stress and neglect of self, I had a heart attack while watching television (caused by two 95% blockages of the arteries around my heart). Two stents later and after much physical rehabilitation (which during my hospital release I was told it was covered by insurance) I was back at the very stressful work situation I had been in for 20+ years.
Needless to say the hospital turned the bill over to collections and then the downhill credit slide began. We tried selling the house, once we got back to break-even, however the market was not conducive and were were not able to find a buyer.
After over a year on the market, I took it off to reset the days on market to try and relist it to sell. In June 2017 my wife had a heart event (broken heart syndrome) which landed her in a coma for twelve days and in the ICU for thirty. Following that she went through rehabilitation again and came out doing very well. However, due to all the medications, they put through her IVs she now has many recurring medical issues.
In December 2019 I was successful in selling our home to Zillow; however, before they could close on the house COVID-19 arrived. At that time Zillow stopped purchasing homes, voided our transaction, and backed out of the sale. I then personally sold the house to a 'wholesaler' but he wanted me to just give away the little equity I have mustered after years of stress. I then got hold of a realtor friend and we were able to sell the house and close in less than a month in mid-May.
Due to all the medical expenses, my inability to work, market conditions and COVID-19 we are now living in a hotel spending what little money we received and living on my Social Security check. Without major changes, we are headed for a very bleak financial future and money is dwindling fast. Thank God I found you just-in-time.