Although something inside me knew the diagnosis was bad, I did not expect to hear the words “Stage 4 cancer” and “incurable.” Afterward, out in the clinic parking lot my tears rushed like the water that flooded Ward 9 after the levee gave way.

Three and a half years later while trying shop for Christmas presents with my hospice nurse, I collapsed. I haven’t been outside my neighborhood since.

You might think that my condition is enough for any person to contend with but two years after tears of self-pity washed over me, our daughter was diagnosed with fibromyalgia. Over the course of the next five years, this painful condition has robbed her of her vitality, most of her friends, even her ability to work.

Two months ago she applied for a medical leave of absence under the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA). She had worked six days in the previous two months. Had she not had the security of a government job, she would have been fired long ago. She decided to use her twelve weeks of FMLA to try to set up an internet business with the hope of working from home.

My original intent for this blog was to provide researched strategies for dealing with chronic conditions like diabetes, osteoarthritis, etc. I still intend to do that in the future. But in the near term, I’m going to concentrate on online business opportunities.

What I discovered on the internet is a host of opportunists taking advantage of people like our daughter desperate to make income from an online business.

She started with no experience and little money and she has wasted a few hundred dollars of her FMLA money hoping to follow in the successful footsteps of self-proclaimed “internet gurus.”

What are my qualifications to report these experiences? I am a retired journalist and features writer. I know how to research a story. And as this story unfolds, you’ll find updates here.

Perhaps you are like my daughter, looking for a realistic opportunity to supplement your disability income or who simply needs to make an income from home.

Applying for disability is a long, often costly process. How are you supposed to support yourself between now and then? Even after being accepted for Social Security Disability Insurance, chances are the payments will force you to live a life of poverty.

Bookmark this blog and visit often. You’ll find lots of information to help you. If you wish to add your own experiences to this blog, contact me at peg.healthwise@gmail.com so I can set permissions for you.