I called two nonprofit legal agencies today, trying to help my homeless friend save her legs from amputation.

I was hoping that a lawyer could advocate for her with the medical system so that her health problem could be treated without the trauma and disfigurement of amputation.

The intake person for the first agency said the situation wasn't within its scope and referred me to the second agency.  The intake person for the second agency said the same thing and said that she'd send me a list of "resources" from which my friend could request a social worker.  Nonprofit agencies throughout Massachusetts need to have lawyers and licensed, medical professionals answering their phones, instead of what they have.

For anyone who has never been an impoverished, stigmatized adult and who has no idea what it's like: that shuffling of a crisis from one agency to another is why poor people stop asking for help and live in despair.

The loss of both of her legs means that she will never be independent again.  What will be the dollar cost for those on whom she is dependent, whether a system or individuals, for the rest of her life?  Is it a bargain when contrasted to how much it would cost to give her healthcare options other than amputation?

Her face is chalk white all the time.  I thought it was because she is elderly, but now I think it's because she is in so much, stoic pain.

She hasn't asked me to call people or to help her.