Need some advice on my trip

So, I am in a bit of a pickle, and I figured I'd ask around online and see if others can give me some insight.

I purchase a ticket on United about 2-3 weeks ago for a flight from my home airport (Newark) up to Toronto's Pearson International. My dates are for my birthday weekend (Aug 1-5th) which are about 4 weeks out, to the date.

However, a plethora of things have occurred in the past week alone that have put my trip in jeopardy. My mother is sick as can be, so I have had to take much more care of her at home. Add to that that my job laid me off, and I have an appeals call for my unemployment benefits slated for August 2nd, and this trip seems to be done for.

I looked around Uniteds website, and I saw they offered travel insurance, but the qualifying reasons for getting covered don't really fall into any of my categories, per se. I did note that you can send a refund request to them AFTER canceling the trip, and basically cross your fingers and hope they accept it (minus a $50 processing fee.)

I am not sure which direction to take. Should I wait it out and hope things get better in the coming weeks so I can carry out my plans, or should I cancel now and hope that United accepts my refund request. It seems the earlier you cancel and send the request, the higher the probability of them accepting it.

On a side note, I am a Premier Silver flyer with them, which may help me a bit as I 9/10 times fly them on any trip I take, and I fly about a half dozen times a year, give or take. Just last year alone, I flew them to Korea, to SFO, and to Lima, Peru.

Anyone care to give me a helping hand in choosing? Or maybe have any other ideas? I'd greatly appreciate it!

Reach out to UA's Premier Desk,I'm sure they have one. Explain your situation, have proof if requested.
Being you are canceling not just for the heck of it, but for legitimate reasons, you may just have to eat the $50.
Doing it this far out also helps your case, canceling last minute they have no time to re-sell the seat.
Good Luck!