Hi everyone,

My name is Marie, and I am coming here asking for help — any help that anyone may be able to give.

I am a divorced, single mother living in Miami, Florida, raising my 8-year-old son while surviving on disability. I worked my entire life and always took care of my responsibilities. I had a wonderful job, was married, and was doing everything I could for my family.

About eight years ago, my life changed drastically. Around the same time I became a mother, my own mother became very sick. I had to stop working to help care for her while also learning how to be a new mom myself. My son was only 3 months old when my mother sadly passed away. During all of this, my marriage also began falling apart, and about a year ago I went through a divorce that left me emotionally damaged, hopeless, and struggling deeply.

Today, I live with several disabling medical conditions including trigeminal neuralgia, fibromyalgia, scoliosis, and depression and the list of conditions goes on and on. My ex-husband does not help support our son, and I do not even know where he is.

About two years ago, I inherited my family home. I have done everything I possibly can to keep a roof over our heads, but the house now needs major roof repairs that I simply cannot afford. Here in Florida, homeowners insurance has become extremely expensive, and I have not been able to obtain coverage.

The roof has developed serious issues. The shingles around the edges and on top are coming up, there are holes in parts of the roof, damaged wood, and termite damage that continues to get worse. I constantly worry about leaks, storms, and keeping my son safe.

If I had the money to fix everything myself, I absolutely would. Unfortunately, living on disability while raising my son alone has made it impossible for me to afford the repairs we desperately need.

Before creating this fundraiser, I tried everything I could think of. I contacted local community agencies, my district, different organizations, and even programs through the state of Florida for disabled homeowners. Sadly, many programs have no funding available, and the waiting lists in Miami are extremely long.

Asking for help is not easy for me, and making this fundraiser is truly my last resort. Any donation, no matter how small, would go directly toward repairing or replacing our roof and helping us keep our home safe and secure.

If you cannot donate, even sharing this fundraiser would mean the world to us.

Thank you for taking the time to read my story. Thank you for your kindness, prayers, support, and compassion during one of the hardest times in my life.

With love and gratitude,

Marie