student loan payment

I didnt know i owed at the time of loan ...i thought cuz i was on welfare as a single mom it was paid for..i did not have a ged or finished high school at the time of loan.They chared me 10,000 or more since the loan was taken in 1986... i cant pay all that back in 57years old and got laid off work 6mths ago. I filed paperwork 4years ago to help me and i never heard back from the government.