Today we’d like to introduce you to Brandy Stephenson.
Hi Brandy, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
I am a disabled vet and claim so when applying to jobs. I worked at a factory very near my house because we may or may not a have a car so it was close. My back kept going out (sciatic nerve paralysis) and I kept ending up in the ER for steroid injections. 7 days prior to my first X-ray guided injection straight into my spine and sciatic nerve, I had to resign or be fired because this company would not keep my job or accommodate me until my shot to see if it would allow me to work without excruciating pain in my back and radiating down my leg. I resigned from a job that I really needed financially. I am also 3 years into my recovery and understand now that people don’t have your best intentions in mind. I was “hotel” homeless for about a year and a half before moving back to KC area in 2023.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
No absolutely not. It has been a pure daily, weekly and monthly struggle mostly due to financial stress. I am having a hard time keeping afloat. I use pantries, rent assistance and sometimes bill assistance. I do try to do it all on my own but VA disability is not a great paycheck but SNAP takes my disability as income. The IRS doesn’t even consider it an income. I get $79 for 2 human’s food supply from SNAP. Finding a new job has been impossible so far.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I was a certified medical coder prior to my sobriety. Since my sobriety I have been working for different companies that have nothing to do with my career field. This is OK because I want to live a happier life and in America sometimes that better than corporate America abuse towards employees. When you feel like a number instead of a person it was time to go for me. I only am given one body while these companies destroy many bodies. We have to live with that, not the companies.
