I never thought I would be here asking for help, but sometimes life leaves you no other choice.

My wife and I moved to Georgia with the hope of working things out in our marriage. Just three months later, I was told she didn't want the marriage and wanted me gone. I stayed for six months trying to fix things, but the situation became unbearable. With no other choice, I packed up my car and drove back to Ohio—heartbroken—leaving behind the most important person in my life, my 4-year-old daughter, Mackenzie.

Anyone who knows me knows that Mackenzie is my daughter, through and through. She may not share my blood, but you would think I carried her myself. She is my whole world. Unfortunately, because we weren't married prior to having her, I don't have any legal rights. She is now using that against me to keep Mackenzie from me.

Since returning to Ohio, I’ve had to completely start over. I stayed with my grandmother for six weeks until I could get into my own apartment. I had to furnish it from scratch, rebuild my life piece by piece, and now I’m facing a divorce that I cannot fight alone. My wife has already filed, and she is trying to take everything away from me—our home, our life, and, most painfully, my daughter.

I am asking for help because I simply cannot afford the legal costs on my own after this move and starting over from nothing. Every dollar raised will go toward securing a lawyer to make sure I can fight for my rights as Mackenzie’s parent and for what I’ve contributed to this marriage.

This is the hardest thing I’ve ever gone through, but I am determined not to give up. Mackenzie deserves to have me in her life, and I deserve the chance to fight for her.

If you can give, I am truly grateful. If you can’t, sharing this page means the world to me. Thank you from the bottom of my heart.

— Asia