Hello!

I am John Marcotte. I'm 61 years old and I live in Hamilton, Ontario Canada. So many things have gone wrong in recent years that the effects have piled up. I am at a point now where I am desperare for help just to survive.

I'm a loving and devoted dog dad, an obedient parrot slave, an orchid afficionado, and a fiercely loyal friend who is always willing to lend a hand.

With your help, I and my critter family will continue to remain in our home, warm and safe and we'll get through this. Words cannot say how deeply I appreciate the support we have received from our friends and even kind strangers!

Here is my story......

I CRAVE housing security and peace of mind! The stress of never having enough to pay rent is overwhwelmingly exhausting!

Please help me and my pets survive while I get back on my feet after losing my house and business because of ill health/disability and a corrupt, predatory, dishonest, private mortgage broker who lied, cheated and preyed on me, betraying my trust and taking my entire life's savings.

I am so very weary of waking up in a full-blown panic attack, drenched in a cold sweat. I need to pay my rent, take care of my pets and plants and begin to repair my life.

Despite my 2 brain tumours, hypertension, diabetes, hypopituitarism, depression, fibromyalgia and a number of other maladies (I take 17 prescription drugs each day), I and my pets are most at risk because of personal financial collapse. I am in-between a huge rock and a very hard place and I can't get out of this terrible situation on my own. I desperately need help, please. I need to pay my rent, pay for basic necessities for myself and my pets, while I also start a new life with a new, reimagined orchid/tropical plant business.

Because of my health issues, I am not a good choice for an employer ro hire. Employees need to show up every day and on time. I can't do that reliably. But, I can work for myself on my good days and take a break when I need to. So, my long-term financial security relies on me growing and selling plants that I propagate from my collection of Orchids, Pinguiculas and other collectible rare plants.

I'm in such a bad place because my private mortgage broker manipulated me and lied to me and made certain that I was completely stripped of my entire net worth before I was tossed away like garbage. What he did is illegal, unethical and immoral; but, that fact doesn't help me at all without the financial means to keep the wolf from the door and hopefully, eventually pay for the legal justice I deserve.

I was in pretty good shape in December 2022, when I knew that I needed to sell and downsize my life. Then(!), I was referred to a private mortgage broker who, it turned out, saw me as a resource to be plundered and robbed. It's a very long, detailed story, full of twists and turns involving lying, manipulating and blatant conflicts of interest. Now, I have NO money after selling my home. Instead of having equity money to invest and live on, I am 61, struggling with poor health and disability .....and penniless. The future is terrifying.

I have consulted with 2 lawyers (one Real Estate Lawyer and the other a litigation Lawyer) and after reviewing the details, they both (independantly of each other), advised that it's clear I had been deliberately and systematically scammed and I absolutely should litigate. However, I don't have the $10K for the required retainer needed to get started.

I've had a lot of bad luck in my life; but, it's been especially abundant and damaging since the start of Covid. I am desperate to not end up homeless. My 2 rescue parrots (Tandy, my Cockatoo and Bailey, my Blue and Gold Macaw) and my Border Collie cross dog (Molly), are my reason for living and they rely on me to provide for them; but, I've been failing them and it breaks my heart! I have struggled extremely hard to not let Molly and the birds down.

I’d lived almost my entire life in the same house, building considerable equity, especially over the past 15 years, or so. But, due to my health issues, I had to take a private mortgage to get by. I renewed a few times and the last time, the broker was a despicable scamer. I was naive and too trusting. I had to put my trust in my mortgage broker, who had a legal, fiduciary duty to look after MY best interests. But, he didn't. He and the lender (who it turned out, was his personal friend, looking for a sucker), lied and manipulated and scammed me as they drained away ALL my equity (~$450K!). When I sold, I was left with just $6K. That disappeared in no time, of course.

I moved into a basement apartment rental and after paying first and last month's rent… and some immediate necessities such as bird food, dog food and meds, car insurance, moving expenses, etc., I was left with nothing.... absolutely nothing. I have lost 25 kg because I have not been able to afford enough food. Thankfully, I have managed to NOT allow my pets to suffer. They eat FIRST.

I feel like I'm trying to swim; but, all I can do is tread water with concrete blocks on my feet. It feels like I'm about to go under and not be able to come back up for air. The mental strain is overwhelming!

I ache for some Peace of Mind.... to stop feeling intense dread and anxiety. I need to get past this, take care of myself and be able to live a quiet simple life, growing and selling select orchids and collectible rare plants. I would love to get myself back to a place where I wasn't so stressed and I had the time and energy to volunteer with Molly. She is the sweetest dog EVER! She loves everyone and wants to give kisses to anyone willing to accept them. Molly was born to volunteer and bring happiness to people!

Thank you for reading my story! Please help if you can and/or, please share the GoFundMe link to my story.

THANK YOU SO MUCH!