My name is DeAnne M. I am a proud mother to Amanda M., a 32-year-old Las Vegas resident and mother of an 8-year-old boy who, for the past five years, has lived with his paternal grandmother in Dallas, Texas.

For half a decade, my daughter has been fighting tirelessly in a custody battle, hoping to bring her son home to Las Vegas and reunite our family. We are now at the end of this battle, but we need help with funding the "Amicus's" report for the Court to finalize his return to his mother.

Amanda’s journey has been filled with challenges. After starting a new job, she is working hard to make ends meet, but the financial burden of this legal process is overwhelming. We are now at a critical point: to move forward, we must pay Amicus’s fee of $2,500 for a Home Study and Court Recommendation report and funds to bring him back home. This report is essential as it will allow the judge to set a final hearing and, we hope, bring Amanda’s son home where he belongs for Christmas.

Our family’s story is one of resilience. Amanda became a mother at 25, but just a month after her son’s birth in 2017, she lost her father unexpectedly—a loss that deeply affected her as well as the whole family. Despite facing grief and difficult circumstances, including an unsafe environment with her son’s father, Amanda has always put her child’s well-being first.

The pandemic brought new hardships. When Amanda and her son permanently moved to Las Vegas to escape an abusive situation, the paternal grandmother demanded the child’s return to Texas, due to an old court order. Despite Amanda’s efforts to protect her son, he was taken back, and since then, contact has been painfully limited by the paternal grandmother. The paternal family has made it difficult for Amanda to maintain a relationship with her son, and it breaks my heart to see her struggle for even a simple phone call. Although they have “joint custody,” the paternal grandmother has not shared where her child goes to school, his teacher, medical records, social activities, etc. She has methodically tried to “erase” my child from her son’s life. We heard from others that the paternal father is drugged out and rarely sees his son.

Through all of this, Amanda has grown stronger, more determined, and more hopeful for a better future. She has fought an incredible fight and I am incredibly proud of her courage and the choices she has made to protect her child. Also, she has a new job for which she truly loves and one that will allow her career to grow. Our bond as mother and daughter has only deepened during these trying times.

Some have asked why I cannot provide more financial help. I have already contributed a lot of money toward legal fees in addition to the thousands of dollars that my daughter has spent. However, as a 70-year-old on a fixed income, facing health challenges, my resources are limited. We have also faced setbacks with legal representation, losing precious time and money due to an attorney’s negligence over the past few years.

We have been told Amanda has an excellent chance of gaining full custody and bringing her son home—if we can pay the Amicus’s fee and secure a court date. This is our Christmas wish: to reunite a mother and her child.

If you are able, we humbly ask for your support. Any contribution, no matter the size, will bring us closer to our goal and help heal our family. Thank you for reading our story, for your compassion, and for considering a gift that will change a child’s life.

With gratitude and hope,

DeAnne M.