A Little Help for Andy & Amanda
Donation protected
It’s hard to know where to start with our story and to share why we are asking for help from our closest loved ones. For several reasons outside of our control (which I will explain below), we have found ourselves financially in over our heads and we're praying that by sharing our story, we may receive a little help from those who have the means to offer it.
It started with a clerical error made by the office manager at Andy's work. When Andy submitted his W4, he indicted he wanted a certain number of Federal and State withholdings, *plus* an additional fixed amount withheld each pay-period. His manager erroneously set up his withholdings to *only* withhold the additional amount, and thus no pre-determined Federal and State taxes were withheld, at all. Trusting that his tax withholdings were correct at each pay period (a hard lesson learned, and one we will never make again), we didn't catch this mistake until we began filing our taxes. We currently owe about $2800 to the IRS that we did not realize we weren't paying throughout the year. The IRS does have options for payment plans, but these involve paying penalties and interest, which we are trying to avoid as much as possible.
Next came a major miscommunication with Amanda's doctor's office. We are thrilled to be expecting a baby boy at the end of June! :) Amanda had found an OB here in San Francisco that was willing to work with her Health Share company (a health share, long story short, is essentially a more affordable insurance option for us). The only stipulation was at each office visit, Amanda was required to pay a $150 deposit that would be refunded once the health share paid the bill of the visit. After a series of frustrating phone calls with the billing department, we've learned that this is actually not the case; it seems our doctor's office intends to keep those deposits and put them towards the final, overall "global bill". We are currently out $1350 in deposits that were were expecting to get back. And the "fun" twist to this scenario is, Amanda received a message the other day that her doctor's office has decided to withdraw her from their care, leaving Amanda and baby without a doctor.
The last piece to our story is the most substantial, emotionally and financially. Andy graduated from chiropractic school in April of 2017 and was thrilled and honored to accept a residency position with a renowned doctor. He told Andy that during his time under him, he would mentor him in exchange for hard work, a deal he felt extremely lucky and happy to undertake. A year of mentoring turned into a year of overall hell. Our decision to get Andy out of this situation came the day Amanda suffered a miscarriage and called Andy in the early afternoon, distraught. She had just left the doctor and was lost in grief. Andy told his boss he was going to leave to be with her. He pulled Andy aside to tell him needed to make a decision - a decision about what was important to him, and how he should not let his wife dictate his work schedule. Andy made a decision right then and there. The specific details are heavy and ones we will never forget, but as to not waste any additional words or energy on this person, and to leave the past in the the past, we choose not to elaborate further.
We share this story to explain why it has become an absolute necessity to leave San Francisco earlier than we had anticipated. Our lease expires at the end of April 2018; we have been trying to make this situation work until then, but in the most recent weeks, the hostility at Andy's work has proved it impossible to continue being there for any longer than absolutely necessary. Unfortunately, this leaves us rent responsible for the month of April, costing us roughly $2700. With our baby coming in June, we have decided to move back to the east coast to be closer to both of our families. The moving expenses (including a relocation container, gas, meals, hotels along the road, etc) we've estimated to be about $5,000 - an amount we could make work if it weren't for all of the above.
And the (very minor, thankfully) last-but-not-least story - two days before Christmas, we were rear-ended. The other driver's insurance has recently informed us that they are denying liability (due to an alleged third driver that hit the driver that hit us, that no one else saw or heard...), leaving us responsible for our own car repairs. Fortunately we have decent insurance with a $500 collision deductible, but regardless it's an expense we weren't anticipating, and a $500 cherry-on-top. With all of these events happening in rapid succession, we're looking at just over $12,000 in expenses.
Asking for money from friends and family is not a decision we've made on a whim without much thought or consideration. We understand that everyone has their financial struggles, especially at this time in our lives when most of our loved ones are trying to start careers, pay their mortgage, take care of their own families, or all of the above! We would be forever thankful and appreciative for any amount donated. Truly, every bit helps and any amount received is received with immense gratitude. Thank you so much for taking the time to read our story and for considering helping us out. It means the world.
Love,
Andy & Amanda
P.S. We have had a few friends and family ask if they could donate by sending a personal check or through Venmo, in order to avoid Go Fund Me processing fees. This is absolutely fine by us and we appreciate the extra effort. We will happily and gratefully accept donations in whatever form you are willing and comfortable to give. <3
It started with a clerical error made by the office manager at Andy's work. When Andy submitted his W4, he indicted he wanted a certain number of Federal and State withholdings, *plus* an additional fixed amount withheld each pay-period. His manager erroneously set up his withholdings to *only* withhold the additional amount, and thus no pre-determined Federal and State taxes were withheld, at all. Trusting that his tax withholdings were correct at each pay period (a hard lesson learned, and one we will never make again), we didn't catch this mistake until we began filing our taxes. We currently owe about $2800 to the IRS that we did not realize we weren't paying throughout the year. The IRS does have options for payment plans, but these involve paying penalties and interest, which we are trying to avoid as much as possible.
Next came a major miscommunication with Amanda's doctor's office. We are thrilled to be expecting a baby boy at the end of June! :) Amanda had found an OB here in San Francisco that was willing to work with her Health Share company (a health share, long story short, is essentially a more affordable insurance option for us). The only stipulation was at each office visit, Amanda was required to pay a $150 deposit that would be refunded once the health share paid the bill of the visit. After a series of frustrating phone calls with the billing department, we've learned that this is actually not the case; it seems our doctor's office intends to keep those deposits and put them towards the final, overall "global bill". We are currently out $1350 in deposits that were were expecting to get back. And the "fun" twist to this scenario is, Amanda received a message the other day that her doctor's office has decided to withdraw her from their care, leaving Amanda and baby without a doctor.
The last piece to our story is the most substantial, emotionally and financially. Andy graduated from chiropractic school in April of 2017 and was thrilled and honored to accept a residency position with a renowned doctor. He told Andy that during his time under him, he would mentor him in exchange for hard work, a deal he felt extremely lucky and happy to undertake. A year of mentoring turned into a year of overall hell. Our decision to get Andy out of this situation came the day Amanda suffered a miscarriage and called Andy in the early afternoon, distraught. She had just left the doctor and was lost in grief. Andy told his boss he was going to leave to be with her. He pulled Andy aside to tell him needed to make a decision - a decision about what was important to him, and how he should not let his wife dictate his work schedule. Andy made a decision right then and there. The specific details are heavy and ones we will never forget, but as to not waste any additional words or energy on this person, and to leave the past in the the past, we choose not to elaborate further.
We share this story to explain why it has become an absolute necessity to leave San Francisco earlier than we had anticipated. Our lease expires at the end of April 2018; we have been trying to make this situation work until then, but in the most recent weeks, the hostility at Andy's work has proved it impossible to continue being there for any longer than absolutely necessary. Unfortunately, this leaves us rent responsible for the month of April, costing us roughly $2700. With our baby coming in June, we have decided to move back to the east coast to be closer to both of our families. The moving expenses (including a relocation container, gas, meals, hotels along the road, etc) we've estimated to be about $5,000 - an amount we could make work if it weren't for all of the above.
And the (very minor, thankfully) last-but-not-least story - two days before Christmas, we were rear-ended. The other driver's insurance has recently informed us that they are denying liability (due to an alleged third driver that hit the driver that hit us, that no one else saw or heard...), leaving us responsible for our own car repairs. Fortunately we have decent insurance with a $500 collision deductible, but regardless it's an expense we weren't anticipating, and a $500 cherry-on-top. With all of these events happening in rapid succession, we're looking at just over $12,000 in expenses.
Asking for money from friends and family is not a decision we've made on a whim without much thought or consideration. We understand that everyone has their financial struggles, especially at this time in our lives when most of our loved ones are trying to start careers, pay their mortgage, take care of their own families, or all of the above! We would be forever thankful and appreciative for any amount donated. Truly, every bit helps and any amount received is received with immense gratitude. Thank you so much for taking the time to read our story and for considering helping us out. It means the world.
Love,
Andy & Amanda
P.S. We have had a few friends and family ask if they could donate by sending a personal check or through Venmo, in order to avoid Go Fund Me processing fees. This is absolutely fine by us and we appreciate the extra effort. We will happily and gratefully accept donations in whatever form you are willing and comfortable to give. <3
Organizer
Amanda Jordan
Organizer
San Francisco, CA
