Main fundraiser photo

Single Mom of Three Fund

***I am currently unable to work due to health issues, both with the kids and with myself. I have had to close down my home business for the time being. I also had to back out of being a vendor at the IHM National Homeschool Conference in June, losing my spot on the invite list for next year as well. Now I'm waitlisted for next year.***

I set up a wish lists on Amazon for on-going needs in case anyone prefers to just buy something instead of making a donation. I know some people would rather actually buy something that they know will be used, so here is the list just in case. Thank you all so much!

Ongoing needs - http://a.co/4LZSCnH 

Finally, here is one of my most recent blog posts summarizing the past three, very difficult, years - 
http://mylittlefeltfriends.weebly.com/blog/i-was-strong  

The original fundraiser last year for the van was $5000. By closing my shop from May til August and backing out of the IHM conference, I'm losing about $2000 in income. I do still get child support and SNAP, WIC and Medicaid, but we have still been living "paycheck to paycheck" with the combined income - plus since my oldest just turned 5 this month, he is no longer covered by WIC so 1/3 of that is now gone as well. I have enough grocery money, but the current fundraiser is for things that can't be purchased via government assistance, like toiletries and cleaning supplies and manipulatives for the kids, and setting aside for unexpected purchases/repairs/medical bills.  

(((Update on June 2: Since we are set on diapers, wipes, and cleaning supplies now, everything raised will go towards vitamins/supplements for the kids and I, and groceries as some of us now need to be gluten+dairy free, which is close to impossible with WIC. I've been finding good deals online, but I can't use my EBT card for online orders.))) 


Who are we?  (written in 2016)

Hi everyone. My name is Adrianna. I am a single mom to three children born 2012, 2014, and 2015. The kids and I live in an apartment in my parents' basement. I started this fund because I need to be able to pay off my van. 

2 of our 3 kids have diagnosed special needs/chronic illness that requires frequent visits to various doctors and/or therapies. 

Our 4 year old son has developmental delays, speech delay, Sensory Processing Disorder , learning disabilities and asthma. He goes to a special needs preschool, and will soon start feeding therapy about an hour and a half away to help with some of his sensory issues. He maystart Occupational Therapy as well, depending on what the Behavioral Psychiatrist says at his evaluation. 

Our 2 year old has a chronic condition called PFAPA , a Periodic Fever Syndrome. Every 2 weeks, she gets a 5 day high fever (103*F or higher), accompanied by joint pain, upset stomach, headache, mouth ulcers, and she was having seizures as well but has been seeing a Neurologist and was put on an anti-seizure med that has helped. She sees an Infectious Disease doctor, Neurologist, and ENT, all an hour and a half away. She will be having a tonsilectomy sometime in the next few months to see if the surgery will get rid of her fever syndrome. It helps in about 80% of the kids that get it. Otherwise, she won't outgrow it until she is a teenager. 

Our 1 year old is very similar to our 4 year old, and will probably be diagnosed with Sensory Processing Disorder in the future. She also had colic and reflux as an infant. 

Why did I start this gofundme page?

Last year around Christmas, a very good friend of mine started a fundraiser to raise money for me to be able to buy a van, and she raised enough to be able to put $1000 down and keep making payments for almost the rest of this year. But I still need about $4000 to pay it off (and remember that this site takes a percentage of each donation, so I have to set the goal to be higher to account for that), and I only have enough from the previous fundraiser to make payments for about 4 more months. This means that right before Christmas, I'll have to start scraping together money and budgeting even tighter to be able to make payments. 

I do have a home business (www.mylittlefeltfriends.etsy.com) but with the various medical issues with the kids, I can't work as much as I'd like. Most of the money I am able to bring in goes straight into bills or other things like diapers, sudden expenses (like the almost $500 alternator that just got repaired). I do get child support, but again, that goes straight to the kids' expenses. 

I would really love to be able to pay off the van, and appreciate any help I can get. Anything extra that is raised will go towards gas/parking for the kids' appointments, sports that are considered therapy (hoping to put the 2 year old in gymnastics because it helps her mood and joints, and 4 year old in soccer or baseball for his motor skills), or into their savings account for future needs. 

Thank you so much and God bless!! Please, please, PLEASE spread this page around as much as you can!! The first fundraiser was SUCH a blessing, because without it, I couldn't have been able to get to some of the most important appointments of the kids' lives, rush them to the ER when needed (2 yo had a 106*F fever with a 6 minute seizure). 

 

Forever grateful, 

Adrianna, C, B, and A. 

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To clarify since this has been mentioned a couple of times : None of the kids have received any vaccines (and I know now I may get criticized for that... Can't win no matter what).

Anyway... While their medical issues may sound like vaccine injury, they are not. Especially because of their issues, we are delaying vaccines as long as possible, with the approval of their doctors. 

Also, Brooke does not have Lyme. That was the very first thing tested for by her many doctors. They do extensive blood work every few months. Thank you for your well-meaning suggestions. 

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I also feel like I need to address another frequent topic of heated discussion: 

I'm not asking that people completely provide for my kids and I so that I don't have to work. I'm asking for help to pay off my van, the van that will be needed to get to work, the van I needed to be able to take my kids to their multiple appointments and therapies. That is all.

Eventually I will most likely go back to work. When all three kids are in school full-time, since I probably won't be able to homeschool, which has been a lifelong dream of mine... but hey, so was having a husband.

I live with my family. They do help out. They took us in, are providing a full basement two bedroom, one bathroom apartment with a full kitchen, living room and dining area with wifi, utilities and cable for 1/8 of the price it would cost to have that on my own. They watch the kids throughout the day every single day. They sleep with two of the kids during B's sick weeks so that I can focus on her. They babysit while I run errands. They help out during Mass. The list goes on and on. 

But I can't make them stop their lives (because the 3 siblings that are still home are homeschooled) to watch my kids all day or night while I go out and work. That is selfish. I'm not leaving my kids while they need me most. I have 3 children with multiple medical issues. It's not as easy for me to leave my kids with another caregiver as it is for most people. 

One of my dreams is to go back to school and/or go back to work. It's on the back of my mind every single day. I am constantly rethinking everything, trying to figure out if I'm doing what's best for my family or if I could do better.

Please don't make me feel any worse than I already do. I don't like being on government assistance. I don't like the judgemental looks and comments I get, both in public and online. I don't like depending on other people for help. I don't like that my kids only see their dad once a year (please, don't ask or judge). But I am doing the best that I know how right now, and thanks to everyone's help, I'll be able to continue to improve "my best" every day and stress just a little bit less about finances.   

So thank you. I mean that sincerely. Thank you for making our lives that much easier. I wish I could thank each and every one of you in person. God bless you! 

 
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Donations 

  • Anonymous
    • $50 
    • 7 yrs
  • Anonymous
    • $200 (Offline)
    • 7 yrs
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Organizer

Adrianna Castro
Organizer
King George, VA

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