Help a Family Survive and Thrive

Hey y'all! In September, I started trying to raise funds for upcoming expenses for my kids and so maybe we'd have enough to hit the pumpkin patch this year, have some fun family outings. It was a hopeful birthday wish. Unfortunately, life did its thing.

I injured my back, which caused great pain and limited mobility. A week after that, Covid got me bad. For days I struggled to leave bed at all, and then my kids got sick too. Kid the Younger had a milder case, thank goodness, but it hit Older Kid like a ton of bricks.

It's been a real difficult time, and recovery is looking like a long road. I have near constant lightheadedness with bouts of vertigo, a lingering cough, gastro issues, and a total loss of smell, taste, and appetite.

All told, I'm losing two weeks of work - a whole paycheck - so far, with an increase in expenses (medicine, extra groceries + household basics like tissues, toilet paper, cleaning and disinfecting supplies). My water bill will be higher, I've been doing more loads of laundry and running the shower for the steam. That bill comes out end of the month, right as next month's rent comes due.

The goal I've set encompasses the original goal, plus the lost income and increased expenses, and accounts for the site's fees. Anything raised will go towards covering the most urgent bills (rent and utilities) and then apply towards other expenses as needed.

Kid the Younger, she thrives on being social, on participating, doing all the things. Orchestra, choir, dance, track, drama, after school clubs - she wants to do it all, and I want to turn every no we can into a yes for her. I want her to have every chance I never got.

And I'm still hoping we can make those college tours happen this fall, followed by college applications! I'm so proud of Older Kid and I want so badly for her to have the opportunities that I didn't have, that my own mother never had. I want to break that cycle of poor education and stunted possibility for the women in our family.

I am deeply, deeply grateful for your help. It's been a very hard year, with a lot of unexpected pain and loss, and I wouldn't have made it this far without y'all.

Thank you all so much for your time, your kindness, and your generosity. My children and I will never forget it.