A Mother’s Plea for Help: Trying to Keep My Family Together

I never imagined I would be here writing this.

I am a 48-year-old disabled Army veteran and a mother trying desperately to hold my family together while our lives feel like they are falling apart around us. Asking for help is one of the hardest things I have ever done, but after years of struggle, loss, and fighting just to survive, we have reached a point where we cannot do this alone anymore.

Our family of four includes myself, my partner, our 5-year-old child, and my 25-year-old son who has become our caregiver, provider, and the reason we still have a roof over our heads.

Both my partner and I proudly served in the Army, but we came home carrying invisible wounds that never truly left us behind.

My partner has suffered from severe PTSD and a traumatic brain injury (TBI) for decades. For more than 20 years, mistakes in the system and lack of proper support forced him to fight alone while battling untreated trauma and neurological struggles. He has spent at least 15 years trying everything possible to find steady employment, applying endlessly and refusing to give up even while struggling emotionally every single day.

When I look at him, I think about Job from the Bible. No matter how much pain, loss, rejection, or hardship he faces, he still wakes up trying to be a good man, a good father, and a protector to his family. PTSD and TBI have affected every part of his life, but through it all he continues trying to survive without ever turning his pain onto others. He keeps going because he loves his family.

I also carry my own burdens from service. I suffer from military sexual trauma and serious health complications that have caused severe weight loss and physical decline. After my mother passed away last year, my health worsened dramatically. Then I suffered a fall that changed everything. Since then, I have not been able to walk without assistance.

Losing my independence has broken something inside me. As a mother, one of the hardest feelings in the world is watching your family struggle while feeling physically unable to fix it.

My son, a 25-year-old college graduate, has sacrificed his own future to help keep our family alive. He works full time while helping care for me daily. Without him, we would likely already be homeless again.

That word — again — carries pain for our family.

We have already been evicted twice before. Each time, we lost nearly everything and had to start over from nothing. Furniture. Household items. Stability. Security. Memories. Dignity. Starting over once is devastating. Starting over multiple times leaves emotional scars that never fully heal.

We are terrified of reaching that point again.

The rising electric bills through winter and mounting living expenses have pushed us to the edge. Every month feels like choosing which necessity can wait and which emergency has to come first. We are trying so hard to survive, but we are exhausted.

Even through all of this, I still hold onto hope and faith. Writing and creating content has become one of the few things that gives me purpose during this difficult chapter of my life. I dream of building something meaningful through storytelling, sharing knowledge, and creating work that could one day help support my family while allowing me to continue healing physically and emotionally.

Right now, though, we urgently need help getting stable enough to breathe again.

We are asking for help raising $5,000 to help our family avoid another devastating collapse and move toward stability. These funds would help us:

- Catch up on overdue electric and utility bills

- Prevent further housing instability

- Cover food and basic necessities for our child

- Help with transportation and medical-related needs

- Assist with mobility and caregiving expenses

- Create a safer living situation for a disabled veteran unable to walk unassisted

- Give our family a chance to rebuild instead of losing everything again

I know many people are struggling right now, and asking for help does not come naturally to me. But I also believe God works through compassion, kindness, and people willing to lift others when they are too weak to stand alone.

If you can donate, pray for us, or even share our story, please know it means more than I can express. Every small act of kindness helps carry my family through another day.

Thank you for reading our story and for giving my family hope when life has felt overwhelmingly heavy. #StandWithUs #RiseAboveHardship