Shaunalee M. McKean (29) has severe fibromyalgia (a condition that causes chronic tenderness in her joints and long-term, body-wide pain (US National Library of Medicine)), severe nerve damage to her arms, feet, and body, hypertension, poly-cystic ovaries, severe gastritis, and deteriorating vertebrae, among other conditions. Recently, her doctor has told her that her skin lesions, present around her face,torso, and arms, are signs that her body is breaking down due to the constant wearing down of her body itself. Because of these conditions, she is unable to hold a job of her own. Her husband of eleven years works long hours six days a week to make ends meet.

She has applied for disability several times since at least 2010 and has been repeatedly rejected.

With help from friends, she has revised and re-submitted an application to ODAR (Office of Disability Adjudication and Review) with all hopes they they would respond positively.

Allsup, a representative company for people applying for disability, sent her a letter in early May with this:

"The Office of Disability Adjudication and Review (ODAR) has advised us that your case has been received and is awaiting action by an administrative law judge. Generally, it takes anywhere from eight to 18 months for ODAR to schedule a hearing, but in some instances it can take 24 months or longer. Typically, once the file is received, ODAR will conduct a thorough review to determine if additional information is required before giving it to the administrative law judge."

Shaunalee and her husband are already in debt to the hospitals and need to pay for her 6 types of medication. She cannot afford to wait that long for ODAR to review her case. Additionally, they cannot go to court in West Lafayette, where they live. They must travel to Indianapolis for the court hearing to appeal for her disability. They have been working hard to pay their necessary bills and pay off their debts as much as they possibly can with Shaunalee selling what artwork she has been able to produce, her husband working long hours, and the both of them pawning and selling many of their belongings to pay their bills. They do not even have a proper bed; McKean sleeps on the floor or the sofa,which is not only bad for her deteriorating back, but also prevents her from getting enough rest to let her body recover from ailments as well as her medical conditions. 

Her court date is set at November 29th, in which she needs to present evidence over the phone, a piece of which will be this petition. They have recently fled to Oklahoma by car after settling a hospital suit that took up almost all of her savings. They have no furniture and only have what they brought with them in their car. The court case will determine if she can gain ODAR's approval and get the disability funds she and her husband desperately need. The purpose of this petition is to give her support and enough vouches to help her float her case in court.