**QUASI EMERGENCY UPDATE**

TL;DR: A lot changed quickly — unstable housing, sudden job loss, and loss of health insurance — but we’re still standing and moving forward. If you’re able to share or support again, it truly helps while we stabilize and rebuild.

First, thank you. Truly. The support, messages, and sharing have kept us upright through a stretch that has changed shape more than once. I want to share what’s shifted, where we are now, and what would help next.

After leaving my marital home during separation, we were staying with my mother while trying to sell the house. Over time, she demanded unilateral changes to expectations and terms, continuing a longstanding pattern of moving the goalposts without regard for impact. That environment became unsustainable, and we have since returned to the house. While far from resolved, being back here is currently more stable than remaining in that situation.

At the same time, my ex, who has been increasingly unreachable, was fired from Caterpillar for embezzlement. That job loss came with the immediate loss of our health insurance. As a result, all of us were suddenly cut off from essential medications and care. We are working to secure COBRA coverage, but that's another significant expense layered onto an already fragile situation.

Right now, our belongings are safe in storage through June. We’re doing our best to make do and stabilize while we figure out next steps. I have a few promising job leads, but between moving disruptions, insurance loss, and being abruptly unmedicated, I haven’t yet had the time or capacity to fully pursue them. That's changing, but it’s not instantaneous.

I also want to acknowledge the broader moment we’re living in. There is a lot of grief and upheaval happening well beyond our household—strikes, protests, and people fighting to be seen and protected. I don’t have much to offer right now beyond presence and witness, but I'm holding space daily for that collective pain, even as we work to keep our own footing.

I want to be clear: we are scared AND we are resolved. We are taking concrete steps forward, even while the ground keeps shifting. This fundraiser continues to help with basic stability during this transition-- housing continuity, medical gaps, food access, and transportation--as the boys and I work toward sustainable income.

If you’ve already donated or shared, thank you more than I can say. If you’re able to share this again or help amplify it, that genuinely matters right now. Even visibility helps.

I’m deeply grateful for the care and support people have shown us. We’re still here, still moving forward, and still committed to getting through this with honesty and dignity.

Thank you for standing with us.

**EMERGENCY UPDATE 12/22/2025**

tl;Dr The plan collapsed. We lost our home with no funds, no relocation, and no clear way forward.

Hard Update: The House Sale Failed, and Our Safety Net Is Gone

Hi everyone,

I wish this update were hopeful. It's not.

I need to be honest about what's happened.

The plan we were working toward--selling the house so we could stabilize and relocate--collapsed completely. The sale was scheduled. Then it was terminated. I haven't been read in on all the details, but the result is simple:

The house can’t be sold.

There is no money coming from it.

Everything we were counting on disappeared at once.

That means relocation is off the table. I currently have about $200 total, and there's no new income expected until April at the earliest. Even with drastically reduced spending and staying with family, we still have bills. We still have food needs. We still have medical needs. There's no cushion.

The house itself is now just… stuck.

No funds for a new life.

No funds even for this life.

No forward motion, only loss.

At the same time, I’ve received new medical diagnoses, and my insurance has denied care repeatedly. Treatments and medications I need aren't being covered, and I can't afford them out of pocket. Managing my health has become harder at the worst possible moment.

We're still staying with family, but it's not a long-term solution, and the uncertainty weighs on all of us.

I'm working on securing more editing clients, but payments are two months away, assuming nothing else falls through. My sons are also looking for work. They both have GEDs and are seeking part-time, entry-level jobs (retail, food service, pet services, anything available). So far, they aren’t even getting replies, which has been extremely discouraging.

I need to say this clearly, hard as it is:

We are out of options we know how to solve alone.

Every path we were trying to walk closed at the same time. We are scared and exhausted. After so much loss already, it feels unbearable to have the future shut down again.

I know no one owes us rescue, and I’m not asking to be carried. I just want to name that the care and help we’ve received so far have helped us keep going when we didn't know how to. Thank you all for that.

If you can help in any way, here’s what matters most right now:

Please share.

Donate, if you’re able. Even small amounts help cover food, basic bills, and medications.

Reach out if you have leads on authors who need a coach or an editor, or leads on part-time, entry-level work for two motivated young adults.

Include us--in prayers, community, connection, or networking. We really need to not be alone through this.

Thank you for reading. Thank you for caring.

With gratitude and the hope that your holidays feel less chilly (and shitty) than ours,

Jess, Cipher, and Adam

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I feel humiliated asking for money this way, but I'm too desperate to let that stop me. Unless I come up with this house payment before the end of the month, I don't just lose the house to instant foreclosure, I lose EVERYTHING I've worked for since 2000.

Every unmet need, every skipped holiday and birthday, every penny pinched to reach "the dream" of owning our own home--all will be gone. It will all be lost to my lying, cheating spouse's terrible financial mismanagement, and the kids and I will have nothing at all to show for the years of sacrifice and saving that have defined their whole lives.

Please, if you have even a dollar to give to help us, it will make a difference. If I can make this ONE payment, I can get this house sold and recover at least half of the equity in it to restart my and my kids' lives.

9/15/2025 PLEASE HELP??

***

One month ago, my world cracked open. I discovered my husband cheating, unraveled years worth of lies and neglect, and learned the home we'd fought so hard for was a breath away from foreclosure. My heart was beyond broken, but I chose to step forward into a new chapter of safety, dignity, and possibility.

A lot has changed in a month, and we've secured shelter and food but no steady income yet. What we need are the resources that make stability possible while I job hunt and the kids finish their education so we can secure our future.

This is not a story about barely surviving. This is about survivors healing and fighting for the chance to thrive. That’s how your support comes in.

How far we've come already:

We have assistance for food.

Kids are in GED classes.

I’m chasing every lead I can for work and growing my editing business.

We got our own phone plan, so we’re connected for school, appointments, and interviews.

Essentials got moved into storage for safekeeping.

We said goodbye to our dog, Leto, with love and dignity.

We moved in with family to share resources.

We’ve well on our way to reconstructing our broken lives. Your support fuels the next steps.

What your donation does:

Gas: $160/week for kids’ classes + daily job hunt trips

Vehicle repair & maintenance: $200–$400

Work clothes & shoes: $100–$150/person

Medicines: $100/person/month for daily meds; $1,400/month for critical prescription not yet started

Medical & dental care: wisdom teeth for the kids; dental reconstruction for me ($3,000–$10,000)

Storage: $100/month

Legal cushion: $500–$15,000 for filings, retainer, and protection from Derek’s debt & potential foreclosure

Why now:

We’re at the critical start of our rebuilding journey. Every day without resources slows our progress forward. Every donation buys mobility, health, and security. You’re helping us transform momentum into real, lasting independence.

The outcome:

We are the family to root for. Every contribution fuels progress: the kids’ education and future opportunities, my work, our protection, and our health. Your support helps turn chaos into momentum, and momentum into independence.