Hi everyone,

My name is Carla, and I never imagined I would be in a position where I needed to ask for help like this, it was extremely hard for me to suck up my pride and make this go fund me. but right now my children and I are truly struggling. Tomorrow my daughter Elia has her final Easter seals appt for her to be diagnosed.

I am a single mother of five children, including children with special needs, and I have been doing everything I possibly can to hold things together after being abandoned and left to manage everything alone. Their father is no longer involved, and I have no way to contact him for support or help as he chose to leave the country.

Over the past several months, I have been trying nonstop to survive — selling handmade items online, applying for assistance, attending appointments, filing paperwork, and doing everything I can to provide for my children. Despite my efforts, we have reached a point where we have barely any food left and I do not even have enough gas money to get my daughter, Elia, to her important medical evaluation appointment tomorrow in Daytona.

This appointment is extremely important because she is finally being evaluated and diagnosed so she can hopefully receive the help and services she needs. Missing it could delay care even longer.

I am not asking for luxury or extras. I am simply asking for help with:

1. Food and groceries for my children
2. Gas to get to medical appointments
3. Basic necessities while I work to stabilize our situation
4. Emergency support while I continue trying to rebuild our lives

Anything helps — even sharing this fundraiser means more than I can explain.

Thank you for reading our story, for caring, and for helping my children and me through one of the hardest times of our lives.

thank you

Carla Maffei