My name is Brittney, and I am fighting to reunite with my two young sons after an unexpected and unfair custody situation.

I was laid off in June unexpectedly and made the decision to move down to Florida with my parents to rebuild in early September.

At the end of September, everything in our world changed in a single night. After a physical altercation with my mother — one that she initiated and admitted on a recorded line — I was arrested after calling to make a report 3hrs later. She had stated that I was drunk at the time of the altercation and because I did drink between the time of getting to my friends' house until the time the deputies showed - I was determined the aggressor. A temporary custody petition was filed without my knowledge. Since then, I have had extremely limited access to my children, "loosely" supervised only by my mother, who is the petitioner and has a long history of conflict with me.

I had no lawyer, no money for representation, and received paperwork filled with incorrect information about me, my sons, and our lives together.

My sons are confused. They’re hurting. They ask why mommy can’t take them home, why we missed their birthday together, why we didn’t get to spend Halloween like we always do. They ask me if we will still have Christmas together. They’ve begged me to come get them, and I have to be strong and explain that I’m doing everything I can — even when it breaks my heart.

I’ve been their primary caregiver their whole lives. I've taken them to school, to appointments, made their meals, handled everything. We’ve always been a team. They are my world. And right now, our world is upside down.

I’m doing everything required of me, but I can’t move forward without help. I need legal representation to correct the false information in the petition, to protect my rights, and to request a neutral supervisor — because my mother is not a safe or fair option. I’m seeking steady employment (this has cost me previous job opportunities), working on rebuilding, and doing everything in my power, but attorney fees and court costs are more than I can manage alone.

I’m asking for support to help me:

Any amount — even a few dollars — helps me take a step closer to being reunited with my children. I never imagined I’d be in this position. I never imagined asking for help like this. But I will do absolutely anything to bring my boys home.

Thank you for reading, for caring, and for helping me fight for my family.