Hi y'all, Tobi here. Vyrsa and I have been in a tough spot for a couple of months now. We are thinking that things will get better around November, but we need some help making ends meet until that point.

We're struggling because I got struck down by a chronic illness I wasn't aware of in June and have had trouble making it to work consistently with my symptoms and doctor's visits. I work part-time and don't have sick leave, so I push myself through making up hours for a bigger paycheck, which can make me feel worse. Vyrsa has been trying to bridge the gaps in our expenses and also take on more stuff around the house, and I know she's exhausted.

I'm especially frustrated because I'm still working on returning to work full-time from the last time a new chronic illness messed with me. I got a bad long Covid infection in late 2022 while working for AISD. Eventually, the high school told me I wasn't safe to be around my students with me collapsing for reasons the doctors hadn't yet identified, and I had to leave in February 2023. I've been bouncing around through medical mismanagement and financial and housing instability this whole time.

I enrolled in an online certificate from ACC in 2024 to reskill, which I finished this past May, and I used this to secure a job with the state. This job starts 10/13, and the pay and benefits will be more than I've made in my life. As you can imagine, the health insurance will be particularly helpful.

My first paycheck comes 11/1 though, and also the lease on our apartment happens to be ending 10/15. We found a cheaper apartment to move to, so we need to be able to swing prorated rent on our current place as well as the first month's rent on the new place. Also, fees such as the security deposit. After that, the reduced rent payments for more square footage should be a big help to recover our finances.

So thanks for reading this far. This was my idea; Vyrsa really didn't like the idea of asking for help, but we agreed that we are running low on options. We appreciate any help you are able to give.