MT. JULIET, Tenn. (WTVF) — As the weekend draws near, all Debora Dunsavage could think of is working.
The 53 year-old Mt. Juliet woman, wiping down counters and dusting collectibles stacked inside shelves of another person’s home tells NewsChannel 5, this is how she makes a living.
“A lot of people, they ask me, what do I do to keep my mind off things,” she says, swiping a sponge along the kitchen sink.
Dunsavage’s husband of nearly three years was diagnosed with brain cancer and with medical bills piling up.
“This is what I have to do, seven days a week to make ends meet and pay bills.”
While the couple has Medicare, the deductible is well into the thousands, with medication costing hundreds of dollars a month.
Her husband, she says, “He pretty much has no life anymore.”
Dunsavage describes crippling tumors attacking her husband’s back and radiation treatment stopping him from working. While she’s here, her mind sometimes wanders, the light shining through the kitchen window, proving to be some solace from home. She admits her biggest fear is being alone, so this has become a mission of sorts, with the goal of climbing out of medical debt.
With the debt, comes depression, “It’s been a lot,” she says. But, she keeps going, despite being overwhelmed with mounting bills she can’t seem to pay. She’ll keep cleaning, honoring her vows of sickness and health, because for her, being apart is just not an option.
“If something happens to Kevin, before it does me, then I know I’ll be by myself.”
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