Help Support Our Family to Recover From Tragedies

In April 2023, my father passed away, and my wife Ashley and I were unprepared for the challenges that lay ahead. Ashley began to experience severe breathing issues, which were later diagnosed as a deviated septum and subsequently underwent successful surgery while under FMLA leave (Family and Medical Leave Act).

Thankfully, Ashley was on the road to recovery and excited to return to her career at Amazon, but while still on leave, she then required surgery on both hands for severe carpal tunnel syndrome. Without the use of her hands for basic tasks like cooking, cleaning, and even getting dressed in the morning, I became her full-time caregiver while still holding down a full-time job…and it was my pleasure to do so as she means the world to me!

This time in our lives was very difficult for both of us financially, physically, mentally, and emotionally, and knowing I had to provide for my family no matter the situation, I sought out a higher-paying job to ensure the financial stress would not affect my wife's healing.

Thankfully, a position remodeling apartments opened and I leaped at the opportunity thankful that the extra income would help to keep us afloat while Ashley recovered. It was truly a blessing as we finally had the chance to begin to climb out from the mountain of medical debt that was beginning to overwhelm us.

Then the unexpected happened…while at home on what seemed like a normal day, I was troubleshooting my stereo in a squat position as it had not been functioning correctly. After completing the work, I went to stand up and the moment I rose from that position, the meniscus on my right knee instantly tore. This was excruciatingly painful and required immediate surgery to repair the damage.

Despite undergoing a successful surgery, I struggled to walk without pain, which ultimately led to losing my job in apartment remodeling and with that…our hopes of making it through this difficult situation.

The amount of stress that we were under is hard to explain. It was like life stole the carpet right out from under us and we were left confused, worried, and feeling hopeless. What I didn't understand at the time though was just how hard everything truly was on my wife.

As Christmas approached, Ashley returned to work fully healed, and I too found employment making December a time that should be full of hopefulness, peace, and joy. That joy…that peace…and that hopefulness quickly dissipated when Ashley experienced a mental breakdown which led her to try and take her own life.

This moment still feels like a dream to me. I remember seeing her lying in the hospital ICU for three days as doctors fought to bring her back unharmed. My beautiful wife who is normally so strong could no longer handle everything that life kept throwing at us. I thank God every day that she made it through and has a second chance at life and with that…comes real hope for our future.

Ashley's mental breakdown was a turning point for us. We realized that life is worth fighting for and that we also couldn't do this alone and needed to reach out for help. We started going to regular counseling visits and are fighting to bring back the joy and hopefulness that once filled our home which is why we are here today to seek for your support.

Our crowdfunding campaign is aimed at raising money to help us get through the tough times we have been facing. The past year has been a rollercoaster ride for our family, and we have found ourselves in a difficult financial position. We believe that with your support, we can get back on our feet and start afresh.

100% of your generous donations will go directly towards the following expenses:

Ashley and I have been together since 2004 and married on the beach in 2010. She is truly the love of my life and together we have four “children” which are three cats (one with special needs) and a hyperactive dog (Jookiba) that always keeps us on our toes!

We have been through many hardships where most marriages would not survive yet we are still here fighting for our future, our hopes, and our dreams. I want to show my wife that we are not alone and that there are still good people in this world willing to help those who are struggling.