When I lost my hands making flatscreens I can’t afford, nobody would help me
On February 11, 2011, I lost both my hands.
I was working an overnight shift at my job in Reynosa, Mexico, where I was cutting metal for parts used in assembling flatscreen televisions. I was working in my usual area, and the boss was pressuring us.
“I want you to work faster, because we need the material urgently,” he said.
I was moved to Machine 19, which can rip and cut metal and takes two hands to operate. It is heavy, weighing at least one ton, maybe two, and no one liked to work on it because it was too difficult. They always seemed to assign it to me.
I started work at 11pm. Around 2 or 2:30am, I was positioning metal inside Machine 19. My hands were actually inside the machine, because I had to push the metal in until it clicked into place.
That’s when the machine fell on top of them.
I screamed. Everyone around me was crying and yelling. They stopped the assembly line on the female side of the room, but the men were told to keep working.
Meanwhile, I was stuck. No one could lift the machine off my hands. They remained trapped for 10 minutes, crushed under the machine.
Finally, a few fellow employees created a makeshift jack to lift the machine up just enough for me to pull my hands out. I wasn’t bleeding very much, because the machine actually sealed the ends of my arms and forged them to the piece of metal. They took me to the hospital with the piece attached to my hands. The doctors were surprised when I showed up like that. I remember saying, ‘Take the piece off. Take it off.’ But they didn’t want to.”
My hands were flattened like tortillas, mangled, and they both had to be amputated. I lost my right hand up to my wrist and my left a little higher. I didn’t know how I’d ever work again.
Immediately, I started to worry about my children. I have six children at home, who were between the ages of 9 and 17 during the accident, and I am both mother and father to them. How would I take care of them now?
Working six days a week, I made 5,200 pesos a month ($400). Without my hands, I knew I wouldn’t even be able to make that much.
After five days in the hospital, I checked myself out. But I didn’t go home first. I went directly to the factory where I worked for HD Electronics. I asked to see the manager. He offered me 50,000 pesos ($3,800).
“I’ve lost both my hands,” I said. “How will my family survive on 50,000 pesos?”
“That’s our offer,” he said. “Stop making such a big scandal about it and take it.” I eventually got about $14,400 in settlement money under Mexican labor law, an amount equal to 75% of two years’ wages for each hand. But I knew I had to do better for my family. So I looked across the border, to Texas, where my former employer is based.
I found a lawyer with a nice office in a good part of town. I was sure he would help me. Instead, he said, “Go up to the international bridge and put a cup out and people will help you.”
I was devastated.
That’s when I decided to tell my story on television. That led me to Ed Krueger, a retired minister who vowed to find me the right lawyer. That lawyer was Scott Hendler at the law firm Hendler Lyons Flores, in Austin, Texas. Even though I could not pay, he helped me file a lawsuit against LG Electronics, which contracted with the factory where I worked. Finally, about 18 months after the accident, I had hope.
Then the judge in my case threw out the lawsuit on a technicality, saying LG had not been properly notified. I wasn’t even given a chance to respond.
It’s been four years since I lost my hands. I have trouble paying my mortgage, and I wonder: Was that first lawyer right? Will I end up on a bridge, holding a cup out in front of me?
I constantly wish that someone with a compassionate heart could help me get some prosthetic hands that are flexible, so I could actually do something. Right now, I can’t do much. I can do smaller things, and move some things around, but I can’t do anything for myself. I can’t even take a shower. My family is surviving on a small disability benefit from the government, the kindness of friends and because my oldest daughter is now working instead of pursuing her education.
I’ve worked in factories most of my life. I know I am not the first person to be injured. But more needs to be done to help the workers who are making the products that so many Americans buy. We don’t ask for even a tiny share of the billions these companies make. We are just asking for enough to take care of our families and, when we are hurt, to take care of ourselves, too.
I’m honored that I’ve been asked by Public Justice, a wonderful legal organization fighting on behalf of workers like me, to share my story. And I’m humbled that they’ve selected me to receive their Illuminating Injustice Award. That’s just what I hope to do: shine a light on the stories of workers, like me, so that the people who buy the products we make can understand a little about our lives, too.
I hope someone, somewhere, will hear or read my story and help prevent this from happening again. Because, while my hands are gone, the injustice for so many remains.
http://www.rosamorenofund.com/ fund to donate to Rosa Moreno
Please at least reblog this so more people can see it because this needs to be seen.
signal boost
My name is Angie. I’m a 20 year old bed bound gay woman with a spinal injury, facing imminent homelessness. I was evicted from my subsidised apartment on 22nd April and will need to pay for very unaffordable private accommodation in the coming 6 months. I also have a cognitive disability, depression and anxiety, so this situation is doing terrible things to my my brain and mental health. I cannot work for an income, and do not have adequate family support due to a history of parental abuse.
Currently I have nursing invoices totaling $3788.96 and a patient transport invoice of $1531.50 (updated). I need help to pay these urgently, or my medical and nursing care will cease.
If I become homeless, that will be life threatening to me. Please consider donating even a small amount. Thank you for your support.
Links: YouCaring: costs & medical records | PayPal | Image description | FAQs
Verification from my friends thuper-bacon and uozlulu – link
A nurse who has forced her way into my accommodation, harassed me, and threatened me with forced institutionalization has made contact with me again. I must leave my current premises immediately but there are still about $1500 dollars left on my paramedic transport invoices, and that is my only form of transport given my severe spinal injury. Please donate to help me find safety ASAP. My local hospital has severely abused people I’ve known of before and I’m afraid for my life if I’m forced to go there. Please help me and donate ASAP. Thank you.
So, I’m in need of a little help.
I’ve been trying to avoid this, but I dont have any other option right now. I’ve spent the past few month using all of my savings to make up for not having a roommate anymore. Last month, My job ended for the summer, so I have had no income for the past 3 weeks. I’ve secured myself a few summer hours at my current job, and I will be starting another on Monday, but I wont be getting any checks until July, and even then they will be small.
This is the last month I have to pay for to live in my apartment until September. I have no money saved anymore, everything I’ve earned these past 3 weeks was in a shared account and has since gone towards my mothers own bills. I’ve found myself with less than two weeks to make 800 for rent, with a train pass (for my second job), bills that are past due, and my therapy/medication that I havent been able to afford for the past 3-4 months. $1000 should be at least enough to cover everything that I absolutely cannot.
My gofundme link is here
I’m also doing photoshoots at Connecticon and Otakon, if you are interested please message me! (I tried adding them as rewards, but they would only let me add one choice per an amount.) I will add those payments as Offline Donations.
Anything helps, and if you can’t donate please share and reblog. I only have two weeks to get this money.
Thank you all so much
Sup nerds. This is a person I know pretty well. Val jumped through hoops to get the jobs they have for the summer but there was a long stretch of applying and that took its toll. It would mean a lot to me if you donate five or ten bucks.
So apparently I have another 12 hours to get the rest of the money which I guess is nice even though it’s still a dick move.
Thank you to the people who donated to me last night, I still need £260 (which is like $416) in 12 hours so please if you can help then I really really need it. I don’t want to be thrown out at any point but right now it could actually kill me, I can’t come out of hospital after chemo and surgery and sleep rough. I will die.
People have asked so I’ll tag it on here my paypal is a-loftus@live.co.uk and my fundraiser link can be found under my chemo tag.
Two hours left. If you can help me I’d be incredibly grateful. I can’t offer anything at the moment but I really, really need the help.
Ok, loves. I mentioned yesterday that I’m going to be selling these market bags in order to raise money to buy my daughter a year long zoo pass. Now’s the time for me to post a little bit more information about that.
My baby’s favorite place in the world is the zoo. There’s something about being around animals that can make her feel better, no matter what. Sadly, the Indianapolis Zoo isn’t exactly cheap. After factoring in parking and admission, that’s already $30-$40 per trip (depending on the day). Don’t even get me started on food prices and the fact that we live almost an hour from the zoo.
So what I’m wanting to do for her is to buy a year long pass to the zoo. This covers admission for as many times as we would want to go, as well as parking on all of those visits.
Though I’d rather get the Family Plus 2 package ($184), I’m just aiming for the Family Basic package ($136). This means I need to sell about fifteen of these bags ($10 each).
The Etsy listing has a variety of colors, but if you’d like a different color then don’t hesitate to message me or choose the Custom option. I also have marked that you should get them in 2-3 weeks, which is actually more likely to just be one week.
Also, if you for whatever reason don’t want a bag but would still like to donate, my Paypal email is tmcnew@ivytech.edu
Anything helps, and this momma can use all the help she can get! Please and thank you, everyone!
need your help.
I really hate posting this again but, for those of you who don’t
know, my dad has a brain tumour and I’d really like to be able to see
him when he’s in the States.If every single one of my followers donated ONE dollar… I would have MORE than enough… Like way more. So even if you just read this and thing “eh my one dollar won’t help” it really will.
instead of purchasing a coffee or something today, it would mean SOOO much if you could help me.
just one dollar. that’s all I’m asking. or at least to spread the word. I’m so sorry I hate doing this.
Thank you for your understanding.
I want to thank all of my friends for contributing, either financially
or in promoting and referring so vigorously through Twitter, Facebook
and Tumblr! I know we are all strapped financially, and yet so many have
sent what they could. And then my great friends continue to be so
generous to tweet and post on Facebook and Tumblr. THANK YOU so much!For anybody who does not know what we are raising money for, here’s our story:
We have raised $240 so far. If you would like to donate or promote us on social media – that would be a huge help. We have 9 more days left for our campaign. :)
In 8 weeks we will be homeless. We are trying to raise money for a
down payment on a house for my elderly, chronically ill mother who will
not have to worry about landlords or moving again.My mum is 55. She has Sciatica and Diabetic Neuropathy. My
sister and I are full-time students with medical conditions of our own
and if we were to raise enough money, this means we wouldn’t need to
move again or worry about landlords anymore.Our current
landlord has broken our lease because he intends to sell the property
and wants us to vacate the premises by July 31st.We have
also found out that due to an improperly installed 5/6 year old
dishwasher, mold has been growing in the kitchen for a year and a half
without us knowing about it. As a result, our chronic illnesses have
become much worse, amounting medical bills both for us and our dog Lola.The
home we can afford on a monthly basis is within 10 minutes of our
current home and we would easily be able to move there. Because of
limited
funds, we have nowhere else to go and will be homeless otherwise.We are selling our possessions on Ebay to try and raise the money ourselves:
http://www.ebay.com/sch/fantasiasprite/m.html?_nkw=&_armrs=1&_ipg=&_from=
http://www.ebay.com/sch/peacepetalsorg/m.html?_nkw=&_armrs=1&_from=&_ipg=25&_trksid=p3692
We are also asking for donations in exchange for good will services in our community and throughout the country:
https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/handy-gals-helping-hands-to-senior-citizens#/funders
hi guys!
long story short: ever since presenting masculine 24/7, i am finding it impossible to get a job because i am transgender. now, i’m being kicked out of my house.
i have a donation bin up here where i offer rewards to those who pay $5+ and want the rewards.
please, this is not a joke. DONATE HERE TO HELP ME BEING KEPT FROM EVICTION, OR REBLOG IF YOU CANNOT
i really want to emphasize that you REBLOG IT IF YOU CANNOT DONATE. i am not a popular tumblr user, and all too often i see people will reblog giveaways or transition help ONLY of popular and attractive tumblr users. I AM ABOUT TO BE HOMELESS. even if you personally cannot donate, your reblog sends a message to several other people. please, please reblog and donate if possible.
thank you so much for reading and for your help!
!!DONATE HERE!!guys i’m not really getting any help, and no one’s reblogging this anymore. i don’t think you understand. I AM CLOSE TO HOMELESSNESS. we were given a 2-week extention but ONLY IF A LOT OF MONEY COMES IN.
please… i beg of you to help…
The Counted is a project by the Guardian – and you – working to count the number of people killed by police and other law enforcement agencies in the United States in 2015, to monitor their demographics, and to tell the stories of how they died.
The database will combine Guardian reporting with verified crowdsourced information to build a more comprehensive record of such fatalities. The Counted is the most thorough public accounting for deadly use of force in the United States, but it will operate as an imperfect work in progress – and will be updated by Guardian reporters and interactive journalists as frequently and as promptly as possible. Contributions of any information that may improve the quality of our data will be greatly welcomed as we work from a dearth of available information toward better accountability. Please contact us to pass on tips, links and multimedia as well as new information on existing cases already recorded.
Why is this necessary?
The US government has no comprehensive record of the number of people killed by law enforcement. This lack of basic data has been glaring amid the protests, riots and worldwide debate set in motion by the fatal police shooting of Michael Brown, an unarmed 18-year-old, in Ferguson, Missouri, in August 2014. Before stepping down as US attorney general earlier this year, Eric Holder described the prevailing situation on data collection as “unacceptable”. The Guardian agrees with those analysts, campaign groups, activists and authorities who argue that such accounting is a prerequisite for an informed public discussion about the use of force by police.
Please join our new Facebook community at Facebook.com/TheCounted to follow the project and join the discussion. And sign up for our email newsletter to get the latest updates.