Help us keep our home!

Hello! My name is Beth, I live in Uxbridge Ontario, a great community an hour north east of Toronto.   In 2011,  I was in the States with my cousin for my 40th birthday. My cousin was driving her car when she lost control of the vehicle and we rolled four times.  As a result I suffered a permanent, life-altering injury to my brain and other parts of my body. When you look at the photos of my girls and I please remember that brain injuries are invisible, you can’t see them like a broken arm, or a sprained ankle.   I live with chronic pain and raising three busy girls on my own is sometimes more than I can manage.  My three girls have been through more than I care to share on this forum.  My oldest daughter was 8 when I had my accident and she has stepped into the role of parenting her younger twin sisters.  Like any loving parent, I want what is best for them, which is to stay in our home. My girls really need stability right now.

My home has a basement apartment, which I would like to restore.  It was recently flooded twice and also had a large amount of mould growing in it. I tried to get help to remove the water and mould and had a little luck with that. The basement is now dry and has no mould (thank goodness!). I now need help to finish the basement so that I can find a good tenant to live there. If I have a tenant, I will be able to pay my mortgage.  I will be able to stay in my home, which we love so much. My girls will be able to lay down some real roots in their community, which they deserve.

In order to get my basement suite ready for a tenant I need to insulate, drywall, paint the walls, complete minor electrical tasks and tile the floor.  I have had two estimates from local contractors, which came in at between $11,000 and $13,000 Canadian dollars.

Learning to live with an acquired brain injury is no picnic. I can honestly tell you that it is the hardest thing I continue to struggle with each and every day. My life has changed in every way, my marriage subsequently ended, and I now have only a few close friends (and a gratefully my Church Parrish) left who have stuck with me throughout this continuing journey.   
I can no longer work because of my memory issues and processing ability.  I used to work in the healthcare industry as a nurse coordinator of a fertility clinic and also provided grief counseling.  My personal finances have been totally drained. I have helpers from a number of different social agencies in and out of my house to keep me on track (someone is helping me write this for GoFundMe right now!) as living with a brain injury requires receiving a tremendous amount of help from others, something I am still trying to get used to.

My daughters and I would receive greater social services but my age dictates that I am outside the scope of practice of many agencies who would like to help us. If I was older or younger we could access more assistance.

I am a good mom. I am still kind and fun and compassionate Beth.  There are many changes but the “real Beth” is still here! I still love to garden, collect antiques, cook, and contribute to my community and Church when I am able and when my pain is manageable (If you want to know what living with chronic pain is like, watch the film “Cake”, Jennifer Aniston really nails what it is like to live with never-ending pain and the exhaustion of having to wear a social mask).

I continue to explore mindful meditation to stay positive as well a natural pain management but the biggest stress I have now is the fear of losing our home.

We thank you for considering our request!!
:)

Beth, Alivia, Emma and Abby.
PS.  Re. verification; I am waiting for the Stouffville Free Press to forward me the article they published after my accident and will upload.