Help me finish Nursing School

Hi!

My name is Lhais De Campos and I am a Brazilian born American. Here I am with my crazy fraternal twin sister Thais. We came to the U.S not long after this picture was taken, at the young age of 7.  I am the girl to the left eating jello (my favorite snack).

Around 1998-1999 I came to Lowell, Ma with my mother and brother and sister. My mother struggled to make ends meet with three kids. She worked 7 days a week to keep us fed and clothed; she also made sure we got a good education. Education was important to her, because she was only able to complete until 8th grade in Brazil. I will be the first college graduate in my family.

How did I know I wanted to be a nurse?

I didn’t. I struggled to find myself and struggled with a career choice. After graduating high school I worked odd jobs, such as hospitality, Dunkin Donuts, secretary, housekeeper... Until one day my good friend and I decided to take a course to become Nursing assistants. That is when I knew I wanted to become a nurse.

Unfortunately I became ill in 2013 the doctors said I had Atypical facial pain. Which is when the nerve of the face hurts, for absolutely no reason. I lost many hours of work and school. But I kept going. I was accepted into the Umass Lowell Nursing program that same year. 

Today I work and go to school. I live with my boyfriend Kalyath, my dog Bandit and my roomate. My bills keep stacking and I can no longer catch up. My grades are also suffering. I want to complete my Bachelors degree in Nursing in December 2016, but I need some financial help. So here I am asking for help. I want to thank everyone who has ever helped me through this part in my life, even if it was just a shoulder to cry on (a lot), and to anyone who will help me in the future.