Urgent Help Needed: Past Due Bills & Rent

Hello -

My name is Courtney.

I don’t know what else to do, where else to turn to, and I’m terrified of losing the last little bit of happiness I have.

I was one of the many out there who lost their job during the start of the pandemic.

However I was fortunate to find work and a new career in veterinary medicine at the end of 2021.

Though I was making significantly less financially I was happy.

Taking care of people and their pets filled me with so much love and happiness. Even during the harder times, I was thankful to be able to comfort people and help them through difficult situations.

It was what I wanted to do more than anything; I even began to foster here and there, when I could.

At the end of 2023 I enrolled at Penn Foster College to complete my Veterinary Technician Associates degree and become a licensed veterinary technician.

I wanted to make a difference even if it was very small.

A new hospital manager took over the practice in 2023 and slowly turned a once beloved job into my now stress fueled nightmares.

After months of this person slowly berating me and my team, blatant favoritism, making unneeded comments about personal situations (my personal finances, mental disabilities, medications for my mental disabilities), manipulation, inflicting and triggering severe emotional trauma, and ignoring boundaries I sought help from our Human Resources department.

Another of my coworkers also reached out to HR with her own testimonies.

My manager found out I went to HR and in response I was terminated.

She got me on a technicality after I had offered to purchase a clients 16y/o cat wet food. I was going to pay for the food so I could get my discount on it. In order to do this I had to purchase the product directly from the company itself.

There had been many times we were allowed to take food from stock as long as we replaced it or put it on our account.

I told the receptionists.

I spoke with a couple of the doctors.

My teammates and fellow technicians also knew.

I made so many aware of what I was doing.

She ended my employment over this.

I was helping someone and their pet, a client I had known since I started.

But to the corporation that owned our facility it wasn’t ok.

This sudden loss of my job has put my husband and I in a desperate financial spot.

I was already making significantly less money as a vet tech - we even had a friend move in to help ease the burden.

I applied for unemployment but to my chagrin I have yet to see any benefits.

When I realized I might not be getting those lost wages anytime soon I began to breakdown.

I was able to find work taking care of pets in peoples homes and get started rather quickly.

We are still behind and I’m afraid if those benefits don’t come through by Monday we will be evicted.

I just want to catch up - I just want to be current on our bills.

We would be ok then.

If anyone out there can help I would be beyond grateful.

These days my husband and my pets are the only lights that keep me here. There are days when I want to disappear, to stop existing, but I remember the love they give me and I want to protect them.

I want to keep them safe and healthy.

I don’t need much in this world.

I just want to live happily with my little family.

If you made it to the end of this, thank you for listening.

I hope you also stay safe, healthy, happy, and loved.