Help Me Get Back on the Road to Stability for Myself and My Daughter

My name is Jasmine, and I am a mother who is doing everything I can to rebuild stability for myself and my daughter.

I am sharing my story because I have reached a point where I need help with something that has become one of the biggest obstacles in our lives: reliable transportation.

I live with Multiple Sclerosis (MS), and over time, managing this disease has become increasingly difficult. I was diagnosed after several years of experiencing health problems without being properly diagnosed, and during that time, I struggled to understand what was happening to my body.

Since my diagnosis, I have faced significant neurological challenges. I have two masses in my brain and multiple lesions affecting areas including my brain, spine, neck, and collarbone. I have also developed new lesions throughout my body. My MS is affecting my mobility, my speech, and my neurological system, and my symptoms have continued to become more difficult to manage.

For a long time, I have done my best to manage my medical care and the financial responsibilities that come with it on my own.

But recently, my symptoms have worsened, and things that were already difficult have become even harder.

Managing my health, getting to medical appointments and treatments, handling everyday responsibilities, being a mother, continuing my education, searching for employment, and trying to rebuild financially have all become much more challenging.

Living with MS is not simply about having a diagnosis. It affects the way I have to plan my life.

Medical appointments and treatments require transportation. Everyday errands require transportation. Looking for work requires transportation. Getting my daughter to school and her activities requires transportation.

Without a dependable vehicle, all of these responsibilities become more difficult, more expensive, and sometimes nearly impossible.

My Daughter

My daughter is one of the biggest reasons I continue to push forward.

I want her to be able to get to school consistently and participate in her practices and activities. I want her to have opportunities, stability, and a sense of normalcy while I work to get our lives back on stable ground.

As her mother, it is extremely difficult when something as basic as transportation can stand between her and the things she needs and enjoys.

I want to be able to take her where she needs to go without constantly worrying about how we are going to get there.

Everything I am working toward is not just for me. It is for her, too.

I Am Working Toward a Better Future

I also want people to know that I am not simply asking for financial help without trying to change my circumstances.

I am actively working toward becoming financially independent again.

I recently received an email informing me that I have moved forward in the hiring process for a Healthcare Verification Specialist position. I am hopeful that this opportunity can become an important step toward getting back to work and creating a more stable future for my daughter and me.

I am pursuing employment because I want to support myself and my daughter.

I want to work.

I want to contribute.

I want to rebuild.

I want to be independent.

But I also have to be realistic about the challenges I am facing.

Finding employment that I can physically and practically manage while living with MS is not always easy. My health has to be considered, and reliable transportation is a major part of being able to accept and maintain employment.

That is why obtaining a reliable vehicle would mean so much more to me than simply having a car.

My Education Is Part of My Future

Another important part of rebuilding my life is completing my education.

I am returning to school to complete my degree in Computer Science Engineering, with a focus on Cybersecurity and Information Technology.

Before my health became increasingly difficult to manage, I was making strong academic progress. I currently hold a 3.94 GPA, and I have been recognized for my academic achievements through my induction into the National Society of Collegiate Scholars (NSCS).

I am incredibly proud of these accomplishments because they represent the person I am and the future I am working toward.

Unfortunately, because of my medical circumstances, I had to take a break from school.

That break was not because I stopped caring about my education or gave up on my goals.

My health required me to step away temporarily.

Now, I am determined to return and finish what I started.

I want to complete my degree, build a career in technology and cybersecurity, and create a future where I can provide for my daughter and become financially independent.

Because I am returning to school, a portion of the funds raised through this fundraiser will also go toward my tuition and education-related expenses.

I want to be transparent about that.

I am not only trying to survive the circumstances I am facing today. I am trying to build a sustainable future for my daughter and myself.

What a Reliable Vehicle Would Give Us

A dependable vehicle would help me:

1. Get to my medical appointments and manage my ongoing MS care.
2. Get my daughter safely to and from school.
3. Get her to practices and activities.
4. Attend job interviews and employment opportunities.
5. Get to work once I am employed.
6. Return to school and continue working toward my degree.
7. Handle necessary errands and everyday responsibilities.
8. Reduce the transportation costs and uncertainty I am currently facing.
9. Have greater independence while I continue rebuilding our lives.

A vehicle would not magically solve every problem we have.

But it would remove one of the biggest barriers standing between us and stability.

It would give me the ability to move forward instead of constantly trying to figure out how we are going to get from one place to another.

How the Funds Will Help

I want to be completely transparent about what I am asking for.

Funds raised will help me obtain safe and reliable transportation and cover the costs associated with getting that transportation on the road.

A portion of the funds will also go toward my tuition and education-related expenses as I return to school and continue working toward my Computer Science Engineering degree in Cybersecurity and Information Technology.

Funds may also help with essential transportation-related needs, medical-related transportation, employment opportunities, and other necessary expenses involved in getting my daughter and me back to a more stable place.

My goal is not simply to get through today.

My goal is to build a future.

I Am Asking for a Hand Up, Not a Handout

Asking for help is not easy for me.

I have spent a lot of time trying to handle things myself. I have continued managing my medical needs, caring for my daughter, pursuing my education, searching for employment, and trying to find a way forward despite circumstances that have become increasingly difficult.

I am proud that I am still trying.

I am proud that I am continuing to look for work.

I am proud that I am returning to school.

I am proud of the academic progress I have made despite everything I have been facing.

And I am proud that I continue to fight for a better future for my daughter.

I am simply at a point where I need some help getting there.

If you are able to contribute, whether it is $5, $10, $25, $50, $100, or whatever you can afford, please know that it would make a meaningful difference.

If you cannot donate, sharing this fundraiser could be just as valuable.

You never know who might see our story, know someone with a reliable vehicle, have a connection to an employment opportunity, or simply be in a position to help another way.

I am not asking someone to fix my life.

I am asking for a hand up while I continue doing the work to rebuild it.

I want to get back to work.

I want to continue taking care of my health.

I want to finish my degree.

I want to build a career.

I want my daughter to be able to get to school and participate in the activities she loves.

I want us to have stability.

I want to be able to provide for my daughter.

And I want to be able to look back on this difficult chapter someday and know that I never gave up.

Thank you for taking the time to read our story.

Thank you for understanding that there is a real person and a real family behind this fundraiser.

Thank you for seeing beyond my circumstances and understanding that I am actively working to change them.

Thank you for every donation, every share, every encouraging message, and every person who chooses to help us move one step closer to stability, education, employment, and independence.

Your support would mean more to me than I could ever fully express.

Thank you for helping me keep moving forward.

With gratitude,

Jasmine & My Daughter