
Alone & in need
Donation protected
Hi, my name is Jean & I am a single mother of 3 young children Hugo (9), Finn (7) and Zara (5).
5 years ago I packed up in the middle of the night with a newborn, 2 and 4 year old because I was punched by my husband whilst I was breastfeeding my newborn. I knew I had an exceptionally complex task on my hands in leaving, but I never could have imagined the even greater feat I had ahead, surviving.
As a Registered Nurse I have managed to find a job, rent a home and fill it with some of the things that are required to raise 3 children on my own. I have almost imploded with exhaustion & stress. Some days I genuinely don’t know how I am ever going to manage. It is nearly impossible to raise 3 children without any financial or physical support on a nurses wage. One child is on a mattress on the floor, and another sleeps in the garage. I am unable to work any shift work for higher salary due to having zero support.
Unfortunately my ex husband has avoided working, leaving me without any child support since I day I left. I have survived to date but this has not been without a great deal of worry and stress about how I will ever continue to manage each and every day ahead with no one & nothing to fall back on. Woman are encouraged to leave DV relationships for the safety of them and their children. But the practicality of doing so is nearly impossible regardless of the help available. I am below the poverty line for a family of four, and I work full time as an RN.
I dream of the day I can give my children the opportunity to participate in sports, or even just have the same opportunities as their friends and peers. A new pair of shoes when they need them, new glasses for my daughter when hers are scratched or broken, the ability to pay for things when I have health concerns for one of the kids or even for myself. My heart is torn apart on the days I can not manage because money is so tight or the worries are so grand.
Sometimes just the thought of another day living week to week, and never being able to really get by, is just unbearable. Rent & bills may not sound like much to some, but to us it could change our lives.
Organizer

Jean Wilson
Organizer
Mount Gravatt, QLD