At 38, Disability and Capitalism Left Me Unable to Support Myself

I'm 38 and I Can't Support Myself Anymore

At 38, I am forced to ask my mother for money after chronic illness ended my ability to work. This essay explores the shame of losing economic utility in a culture that equates productivity with human worth. I examine how capitalism treats care as secondary and traps disabled people in poverty, while grappling with the fear that my value has vanished alongside my income.