Gabrielle Broder is one of roughly 732 people across the United States who received $500 COVID-19 relief grants from United Spinal Association this spring. The grants were made possible by a $1 million grant from the Craig H. Neilsen Foundation, which has also allowed United Spinal to add to its chapter peer support efforts, fund personal protective equipment shipments, provide disability-specific COVID-19 information and more. Broder, 43, shared her harrowing COVID-19 story and how she used the money.
when her usual aides became ill with COVID-19.
“I am very grateful to United Spinal for being there for me in a tough situation. I am a C5 quadriplegic who relies on home care 24/7, and I live with my elderly mother. When the pandemic struck New York, one of my aides came down with a bad case of COVID-19 that nearly killed her. She was hospitalized for nine days, and six of her family members also fell ill, two of whom sadly didn’t survive.
Before she developed symptoms, she exposed me and my household. The following week, two more aides developed a cough, and I and another aide developed a fever.
It was very frightening because I cannot survive even a day without home care. I rely on it for every basic need. And yet, everyone had to quarantine. My 78-year-old mother cannot perform most of the tasks I need help with, and I was fearful of exposing her. And replacements? I don’t have a traditional agency that can send subs. I am in the self-directed program so am responsible for all staffing: recruiting, training, hiring and firing.
In any case, even when my insurance company gave me special emergency permission to use a traditional agency, they were unable to staff some shifts because so many aides were unavailable to work. I did have more aides, but they were afraid to come in for their own safety. I literally had no one left to turn to. In addition to all that, I lost all my income because the gym where I work part-time was obviously closed.
With the check I received from United Spinal, I was able to pay privately for a few hours of home care to tide me over for a couple shifts I was unable to fill. It was difficult to find people, but it helped that I could pay cash and not require them to go through hoops to sign up with the agency. The check also helped me purchase immune-boosting nutritional supplements, along with some resistance bands and other light exercise equipment, so I could work out at home, and finally, basic items like groceries and cleaning supplies.
Fortunately, all my aides recovered and most of them are back at work. I am thankful for the support I got that helped me get through this tough time.”