Edit: 10/9/2025: Worst case scenario. My car's engine is on its last leg. It's a 2001 Toyota Camry and it was a gift. The radiator is split, and the engine is slowly giving out. So what I thought was salvageable is... well, not so.

Hiya. I'm going to be blunt. I hate doing this, but I always encourage my friends to never be ashamed to ask for help.

My name is Jamal. I work with special needs children and adults at Arts n' Autism. I also work part time as a delivery driver while going to school full time at Stillman College for Art Education (so I can continue working with special needs in a more official sense).

I make it work day by day. I'm just a guy that lives with his three foster dogs. I've struggled with my health for the past seven years, but that has been on the upswing over the past year. No. I do not have insurance, and I pay out of pocket for insulin. But it's fine. I manage to budget just narrowly to make it work.

I'm rambling. Long story short, life comes at you fast. If one thing happens, it seems to create this domino effect. I just had my car serviced. Not bad, right? But then... My dog, Brian (a hardheaded Chihuahua that I adopted from foster), is an idiot. I love him to death. He's my son. But he has a TERRIBLE habit of eating whatever isn't nailed down. Literally last year, we had to have his stomach pumped and that was a $500 fix. Whatever, right? Life happens.

Unfortunately, he got into something again. He had bloody diarrhea for three days, and I took him to the hospital. Fortunately, with proper treatment and medication, Brian is back healthy again. Sadly he put me $700 in the hole.

Again, under most circumstances, I wouldn't even care. The bill is paid. I'll work extra hours to build back the extra funds. However, my car decides to pick the worst time to have the worst kind of issue.

It's already old (2001), but it was a gift, and I am able to perform my tasks because of it. The radiator has a bad leak, and this causes the car is overheating within minutes of running. I'm usually able to handle something like this, but all of my issues, stacked on top of my normal bills and extras accumulated...

The timing couldn't be worse. I'm not expecting much. Heck, ANYTHING received would be a godsend. We ALL have our issues, and I hate even asking for this in the first place. But if you can help in ANY shape or form, I'd appreciate it.