Dear Eric: I am a 55-year-old female who has a disabled daughter. The father is long gone from the picture. I make a middle income living and could live comfortably if it were not for my disabled daughter. Things go well for a while and then a crisis occurs, and she is back in the hospital accruing large medical bills.

I have one brother, and he is a billionaire. We live in the same town, but we haven’t seen each other since my mom died. We never had a harsh word or anything. I think he just hangs around with a different class of people.

I do everything I can to economize. I drive a 20-year-old car, buy my clothes at the 99 cent Goodwill sale and own a very modest home.

I just feel very sad that I have a brother who is so wealthy and never thinks about helping me. He uses a private jet when he flies, takes fantastic trips, vacation homes all over the country, etc. I just wish with all his money; he would offer to help me pay off some of my medical bills. He does know I am struggling.

– In Need of Help

Dear Help: I know it’s painful to feel overlooked by your brother, especially at a time when you’re working so hard to make ends meet. That’s a tough situation and I wish he’d proactively offered to help you.

The fact that he hasn’t, however, isn’t necessarily an indicator that he’s unwilling. Have you tried reaching out with a specific request? Perhaps he can help with medical bills or even subsidize better insurance so that the bills go down. Perhaps he can help you get a new car, or even offer you the respite of a vacation. Going in with a plan, and a set number, may help him understand the opportunity he has to lend a hand.

A gift is best, of course, but you might also suggest a no-interest loan.

It can be hard to make these asks – it’s a vulnerable position and the fear of getting a “no” is understandably daunting. But I hope you give him the chance and I hope that he takes it.

Read more Asking Eric and other advice columns.

Send questions to R. Eric Thomas at [email protected] or P.O. Box 22474, Philadelphia, PA 19110. Follow him on Instagram and sign up for his weekly newsletter at rericthomas.com.