Until January 1994, Ms. Jenkins supported herself and her two young daughters by working as a domestic worker. For months she had been experiencing hearing loss in her right ear, headaches and waning energy. She was finally diagnosed with neurofibromatosis, a rare nerve disorder which resulted in a brain tumor near her right ear. She had surgery in March to remove the tumor.
As a result of the surgery, Ms. Jenkins is deaf in her right ear. She suffers from chronic dizziness, daily headaches, blurry vision and lack of energy. She requires a home health aid for help with basic daily activities. To make matters worse, her doctors have found a second, smaller tumor on the left side. Radiation therapy or further surgery will leave Ms. Jenkins totally deaf.
Ms. Jenkins applied for disability benefits after learning of her condition in January. In June, three months after her brain surgery and after discovery of the second, inoperable tumor, she received a denial of her benefits because, according to Social Security, although she was disabled by her brain tumors and surgery, her disability was not expected to last for 12 months. She appealed and was denied again two months later for the same reason. Throughout this time her condition grew steadily worse. Her treating doctors all said that she would not be able to return to work in the foreseeable future.
Although Ms. Jenkins' health remains unstable, we were able to assist
her in appealing and getting a judge to act unusually fast to reverse Social
Security's earlier denials. She is still waiting for her first check
to arrive, but in the meantime can rest assured that financial help will
be coming.