Help My Mother, Rescued Kitty, and Me Get Home Safely from Athens to LA, California for Unexpected Emergency Medical Issues for Both of Us & Financial Crisis— We Are in NEED for Financial Help and Prayers.

“God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble.” — Psalm 46:1

Here is Our Story:

My mother and I came to Greece with faith, hope, and a plan. We believed there was an opportunity here for us to work, create, and build a new chapter of our lives. We were excited to create faith-based content for a new platform studio, we made the difficult decision to leave California because we genuinely believed this was the direction our lives were supposed to take. For a while, things seemed possible.

Then, unexpectedly, the work opportunity that brought us here ended much earlier than anticipated. The faith-based vertical content studio ended abruptly with no warning. We realized the two women running the company were not honest, and what they represented we would receive, like housing, transportation, and income- changed when we arrived. We had to expend funds on living that we did not plan for. We lost access to the studio we had been working from, and we spent months trying to find another way forward.

At the same time, we became caught in an incredibly complicated maze of citizenship, residency, and documentation issues. And we just found out that my Italian citizenship to get my EU passport to work in Greece needs to start over because the documents my father gave back in 2001 to the Los Angeles Italian Consulate are not valid. So, now I have to start the process as an adult, not a minor. We have tried to find work, but without the proper ability to work here, legitimate employment has been extremely difficult to obtain. We have spent months trying to resolve these problems while attempting to find legitimate work and establish ourselves here. Then our health became another battle. During our time here, both of us have experienced significant medical problems. I have been dealing with ongoing breathing problems VCD and neurological/brain injury-related medical issues that require continued evaluation and care. My mother has also experienced serious medical problems, including TIAs and a brain aneurysm, and she needs ongoing medical follow-up. And where we are living if either of us needs to go to the ER, it takes the ambulance 30-45 minutes just to get to our home. That has created such anxiety too.

We have been able to seek emergency medical attention when necessary, but emergency treatment is not a substitute for the consistent medical care and follow-up that we need.

The medical expenses have also consumed money that we simply did not have to spare.

Before we can safely travel home, we are trying to obtain the medical testing and clearance we need. The MRI testing we currently need is approximately €450 each. Right now, that amount is enormous to us.

We have contacted the U.S. Embassy to ask whether emergency assistance might be available, but we have not yet received the help we need and if they do help we have been advised that they will take our passports away from us when we get back to the US thus not allowing us to leave the country until the emergency loan is paid, this something we cannot have happen since we want to come back to Greece and work with a Christian Church and their mission in Africa, and also we work abroad as Content/TV/Social media managers.

We have tried to make it work. We really have. But one difficult circumstance has followed another, and we have now reached a point of genuine financial crisis. And we feel God has let us know we need to go back to California and deal with all of these things. We have asked our family, and unfortunately they have their own financial struggles. We have asked our church, and they have been there but unfortunately they are struggling with others needs too.

We have tried to find work, but its hard without our proper papers.

And most of all, we have prayed with our church, our family, and our friends.

We believe it is time to go home. We believe God wants us to go home.

We don’t see returning to California as giving up. We see it as taking a step back, getting healthy, getting financially stable, and allowing ourselves to rebuild. California is where we have family and a support system. It is where we can pursue the medical care and ongoing treatment we need. And work on getting all the necessary documents for our EU IDs so we can work here.

Our hope is to return to California, stabilize our lives, allow my mother to reach her retirement in 2027 and get her pension and social security, and return to Greece in the spring when we are in a much stronger position.

We are simply asking for help getting through this difficult season.

And then there is one more member of our family.

While living here, we rescued a tiny kitten who fell from the roof of our building. He was hurt and needed medical care, so we took him in and did everything we could to help him recover and fight the cat-covid, worms and the like. He survived. And somewhere along the way, he became part of our family. During one of the most frightening and uncertain periods of my life, this little kitten has become an incredible source of comfort and emotional support.

We don’t want to leave him behind as Greece has a huge problem with stray cats. We want to bring him home with us. We will need to cover his veterinary requirements and transportation so that he can safely make the journey to California.

There is something that feels almost symbolic about this little animal being part of our story. We came to Greece hoping to build a new life. Instead, we found ourselves struggling to survive here — and along the way, we rescued a little life that now depends on us. We want to make sure he gets home, too.

We are asking the Christian community to stand with us.

Our immediate goal is to raise enough to cover:

1. The medical testing we need before traveling and bills from prior care
2. Two flights back to California
3. Transportation to the airport
4. Veterinary care and travel requirements for our rescue kitten
5. Basic necessities while we arrange our departure
6. A small emergency cushion for unexpected expenses

Most importantly, we are asking for your prayers.

Pray that the medical testing goes well.

Pray that we can find a way home.

Pray for provision.

Pray for my mother’s health.

Pray for my health and recovery. Pray that my breathing condition heals from VCD.

Pray that we can find the resources we need before we lose our housing.

And pray for our little rescue kitten, who has somehow become such an important part of this journey.

We believe God can make a way where we cannot currently see one.

We have reached the point where we have to put our pride aside and say:

"We NEED Help."

If God puts it on your heart to give, any amount will help us get closer to home. Whether it is $10, $20, $50, or more, every contribution brings us closer to getting the medical care we need and getting on a plane.

And if you cannot give financially, please pray for us and share this campaign.

Sometimes the greatest blessing isn’t the person who gives the money — it is the person who sees the need and decides to help connect someone to the person who can.

We don’t know exactly what God has planned for the next chapter.

But we are choosing to trust Him through this one:

“When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze” Isaiah 43:2

We came to Greece with faith. We are leaving Greece with faith.

And we are praying that God will use the kindness of others to help us get safely home.

Thank you for reading our story.

Thank you for praying.

Thank you for sharing.

And thank you to anyone who feels called to help us get home.

God bless you.

To view my faith content here on IG: Romeo_Vincent_James