Help Sam Start a New Life
Donation protected
This GoFundMe is on behalf of Sam, a wonderful mother and a strong woman who is trying to escape an unhealthy marriage and build a better life for her and her children. This is Sam's story.
I’m a teacher by trade and have a master’s degree in education. However, I chose to leave my dream career as a high school English teacher to be home with my babies the past 5ish years. I don’t regret my choice to become a mama and to leave my career so that I could embrace my journey into mama-hood with my whole being. After my first daughter was born, I had an incredibly difficult time adjusting to mama-hood (what it was versus what I’d imagined it would be). One year after her birth, I found out I’d been dealing with undiagnosed PPD/A and immediately started treatment. The PPD didn’t impact my relationship with my baby but it totally had a negative impact on my relationship with my spouse.
With the encouragement from mental health professionals, I taught myself to sew. Sewing, medication and lots of counseling have been a saving grace for me. I love to sew so much that I continue to sew items for myself, my babies and others via my online FB and Instagram business @ WhatSamMade.
It wasn’t until after I gave birth to my second daughter that I came to realize that my relationship with my spouse was not at all healthy. Trauma from my past aw well as subtle things in my marriage relationship were actually a catalyst contributing to postpartum depression which inevitably morphed into just plain old depression.
While I was in counseling, I learned that I am in fact okay. I learned that I am worthy of receiving love. I learned that I am the best mama for my babies. I learned that I am enough. I learned that I’m not crazy for having wants, needs and desires.
As I have come to realize my worth and the discrepancy between my values and what I was experiencing in my marriage, I realized that I had to get out. Me and my babies left my spouse two months ago and are living on our own free from him. I had money from our joint bank account that I used to secure housing for my babies and myself and pay for life as I applied for jobs. This has been a difficult and liberating and beautiful road.
I am asking for your help to make a transition to being able to independently care for myself and my daughters and to do that I need some assistance to bridge the gap between the two -- namely to pay attorney fees and set myself up so I can go back to work teaching. I have insufficient financial support from my spouse as he is using money to try to coerce me into returning to him. I have applied for numerous jobs and have even been lucky enough to land a few interviews! The money you donate to my cause will go towards attorney fees (which I will need to navigate dissolving my Arizona Covenant Marriage) and, if there’s anything left over (which I doubt there will be) I will pay for a portion of rent at the home (that my girls and I call “The Girls’ Place) I’m renting with my babies.
I appreciate your consideration for aiding me on my unicorn adventure.
I’m a teacher by trade and have a master’s degree in education. However, I chose to leave my dream career as a high school English teacher to be home with my babies the past 5ish years. I don’t regret my choice to become a mama and to leave my career so that I could embrace my journey into mama-hood with my whole being. After my first daughter was born, I had an incredibly difficult time adjusting to mama-hood (what it was versus what I’d imagined it would be). One year after her birth, I found out I’d been dealing with undiagnosed PPD/A and immediately started treatment. The PPD didn’t impact my relationship with my baby but it totally had a negative impact on my relationship with my spouse.
With the encouragement from mental health professionals, I taught myself to sew. Sewing, medication and lots of counseling have been a saving grace for me. I love to sew so much that I continue to sew items for myself, my babies and others via my online FB and Instagram business @ WhatSamMade.
It wasn’t until after I gave birth to my second daughter that I came to realize that my relationship with my spouse was not at all healthy. Trauma from my past aw well as subtle things in my marriage relationship were actually a catalyst contributing to postpartum depression which inevitably morphed into just plain old depression.
While I was in counseling, I learned that I am in fact okay. I learned that I am worthy of receiving love. I learned that I am the best mama for my babies. I learned that I am enough. I learned that I’m not crazy for having wants, needs and desires.
As I have come to realize my worth and the discrepancy between my values and what I was experiencing in my marriage, I realized that I had to get out. Me and my babies left my spouse two months ago and are living on our own free from him. I had money from our joint bank account that I used to secure housing for my babies and myself and pay for life as I applied for jobs. This has been a difficult and liberating and beautiful road.
I am asking for your help to make a transition to being able to independently care for myself and my daughters and to do that I need some assistance to bridge the gap between the two -- namely to pay attorney fees and set myself up so I can go back to work teaching. I have insufficient financial support from my spouse as he is using money to try to coerce me into returning to him. I have applied for numerous jobs and have even been lucky enough to land a few interviews! The money you donate to my cause will go towards attorney fees (which I will need to navigate dissolving my Arizona Covenant Marriage) and, if there’s anything left over (which I doubt there will be) I will pay for a portion of rent at the home (that my girls and I call “The Girls’ Place) I’m renting with my babies.
I appreciate your consideration for aiding me on my unicorn adventure.
Organizer and beneficiary
Charity Van Buren
Organizer
Arvada, CO
Samantha Beard
Beneficiary