Help Us Recover, Rebuild, and Start Our New Life

Hi everyone,

We really never thought we’d be in a situation where we’d have to ask for help — but life keeps throwing things at us faster than we can keep up.

We are already in the middle of a stressful and unexpected move out of state after our family cohabitation situation fell apart. We’ve been working toward a fresh start by building out our van to live in with our two beloved dogs, Leela and Bender (yes — proudly named after Futurama ). We just needed to hold it together a little longer… and then everything changed overnight.

On October 20th, what I thought was just a stomach bug suddenly turned into the worst pain I’ve ever felt. After hours in the ER past midnight — nauseous, vomiting, and waiting for answers — they discovered a 5 centimeter gallstone stuck in my gallbladder. I was rushed by shuttle to New Smyrna Beach Advent Health around 6am and prepped for emergency surgery by noon.

Thankfully the surgery went well, but now I’m recovering and trying to stay strong emotionally and physically — all while still planning our wedding that is happening November 11th (Veterans Day — which feels ironically perfect for two people who fiercely believe in living free from authoritarianism).

We’re grateful every single day that I’m okay… but this came with a new medical bill of around $5,000, added to our already tight plans for the van build and upcoming move. We are trying so hard to begin our marriage with hope and independence — not fear of where we’ll sleep next month.

Every donation, no matter how small, brings us closer to:

✅ Completing the van build so we have a safe home

✅ Covering emergency surgery costs

✅ Making sure we can still have a simple, meaningful wedding

✅ Ensuring Leela and Bender are safe and secure along the way

If you are unable to donate, sharing our story truly helps more than you know.

Thank you for reading, and thank you for supporting us through this chaotic chapter. We’re determined to turn this into a story of resilience and love — and with your help, we can. ❤️

- Matthew, Kendra, Leela & Bender

*chatGpt used for bio. Prompts by Kendra*