Asalaam alykium, I’m Kelly. Some of you know bits and pieces of my story — and if you don’t, here’s a little glimpse into how we got here:

I spent much of my early life in the streets, surviving addiction and trauma. Then I found Islam. It changed everything. Morocco changed everything. In 2018, I got married there, and I returned to the U.S. when I was 7 months pregnant. That was the beginning of a new life I fought hard to build.

I still say it every chance I get — Islam saved my life. I believe the Qur’an is the final book of the Abrahamic faiths, and it holds so much beauty. But I’ve also learned that Allah’s mercy and love reach far beyond any one path. My heart will always carry the truth and transformation I found through Islam — something I never found in all the other religions I studied while searching for truth. I strayed, but Ramadan in Morocco this year (2025) made me fall in love with Islam all over again, alhamdulilah

Now, after years of struggle, healing, and growth, it’s time for the next chapter.

My daughter Maria and I are moving to Morocco. For good, inshallah.

Morocco is her homeland — even though she’s never been. It’s in her blood, her story, and her spirit. And now, for the very first time, she’ll meet her father and grandparents, inshallah.

After years of running into legal walls, alhamdulilah, I was finally able to get all the paperwork together to safely bring her there. I gave up our rights to spousal and child support in exchange for full custody and permission to travel in and out of Morocco freely. It was worth everything.

We can’t afford to stay in the U.S., even with public housing. I’m autistic and ADHD — one a blessing, one a curse — and Maria and I live alone, three hours from any support system. We struggle. It costs so much just to survive here. We’re always broke, stuck at home, and living off credit — which will run out soon. Once the payments are too high, the utilities get shut off… and then we’ll be evicted. I’m being proactive before that happens.

But in Morocco, I have community. I have purpose. We’ll be living in Mirleft, a small village where one of my closest friends — who also has children, including a daughter Maria’s age (her cousin) — runs a worldschooling business. I’ll be working with her on another project, inshallah. The girls will attend a small private Moroccan school a couple of days a week — not an expat school — where they’ll learn Arabic, French, Darija, and other basic subjects. It’s affordable, welcoming, and exactly the kind of life I want for Maria.

I’ll also be writing again — something I’ve always done — and inshallah, when I’m able to save a little, I hope to open a small, community-rooted business. It’s so much more realistic in Morocco than in the U.S., and this time, I have the right people around me to make it happen.

We have everything ready when we get there, inshallah. We just need help getting there, please.

We need to leave by July 6 (I was granted an extension from the 30th).

I’ve found tickets for around $500 each. Prices change every day, and the trip can take up to 3.5 days with long layovers and no bags or carry-ons included. I’m piecing together tickets as cheaply and quickly as possible.We’ll end up getting the best tickets we can afford, inshallah. This is okay for us, alhamdulilah, we’re grateful the journey is even in reach. What matters most is escaping poverty, the sicknesses that come with it, the prison that is our life in the U.S. and beginning again with actual opportunities, inshallah

We’re prepared to go with just our backpacks. We were gone for four months once and had everything we needed: her backpack full of toys, mine full of clothes. But this time we’re not coming back — and if I could bring even a small carry-on with a few of Maria’s favorite toys that won’t fit in her backpack, it would mean everything. She’s so excited… her backpack is packed. She went to my mom’s today beaming with joy. She’s been incredibly helpful, even selling her own toys at the 12 garage sales I’ve held in the last two weeks.

Now that she’s gone, I’m trying to sell or donate her remaining favorite toys, the ones she plays with daily but didn't fit in her backpack and I’d love to surprise her by bringing a few along.

If you’re able and willing to help with anything, every prayer, well wishes, dollar, or even just sharing this with someone who might want to support — We would be so, so grateful.

From the bottom of my heart, thank you.

Jazak Allahu Khair.