Hello, I’ve had a run of bad luck my whole life, but the last two years have been quite unbearable. It all started when my own mother kicked me out of the house when I was 13 and chose her new partner over me. Since then, I’ve been scraping by with my father. After my grandmother died, my father was forced to leave Prague and we started living in a garden shed, where we’re still stuck to this day. Unfortunately, my father is now of advanced age and, on top of that, is quite senile and suffers from senile dementia. Two Roma men took advantage of this and swindled both of my father’s savings books from him, which contained nearly 120,000. And when they came round for the last time on Friday and he refused to give them any more money, they simply stole it from his wallet and didn’t care whether he’d have anything to eat, anything to heat the house with, and so on. It’s been reported to the police, but we all know he’ll never see that money again. You might ask why I, as his son, don’t take care of him, but the reality is that I suffered a quite serious accident in June: a wall fell on me, breaking both my legs and crushing my collarbone. This was preceded by tendonitis.I was working abroad at the time, but sick pay from Germany only lasts for 78 weeks. I have now discovered that, as I did not pay extra for social insurance in the Czech Republic (I didn’t know this, but according to the law, that is no excuse), I am not entitled to sick pay here in the Czech Republic either. According to the social services report, we are supposed to sell the TV and the car to get some money, but without a car we would be completely stuck here. I’m just trying to get through the winter; after that, I’ll be able to manage on my own. Everything can be documented; only my father’s medical report will be dealt with tomorrow at the GP’s, following the theft and to determine what stage of dementia he is at. With this one-off collection, I’d just like to ensure a dignified survival for my dad – and actually for me too – which is an existential problem at the moment. A temporary solution will be provided by a flexible chimney liner (the chimney is cracked and, in strong winds, smoke blows into the cottage) and the purchase of wood or coal. I think that a donation of 35,000 would sort this out. I’ve been thinking for a long time about whether to post this, but right now it’s about 7 degrees in the cottage, and that’s not exactly ideal for an 83-year-old. I’d be grateful for any help. Many thanks in advance to everyone.