
Fighting for my daughter: Please help me win this Victory!
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For almost five years, I have been in a battle with the courts in the state of Arizona to grant me a favorable custody arrangement. Due to the ongoing battle, I have been separated for long periods of time from my daughter, Victory, who is now six years old.
In 2017, after 10 years of infertility, I underwent In Vitro Fertilization (IVF) and was blessed with the greatest miracle I have ever received. My daughter Victory was born in 2018 and motherhood has been the best thing that has ever happened to me. For those who are interested in learning more about my fertility journey, you can visit my YouTube channel, where I documented everything.
Sadly, in 2020, I made a very difficult decision to leave an unhealthy marriage and I filed for divorce. I made the choice to leave the State of Arizona and move back to my hometown in Michigan so I could have the support I needed as a newly divorced, single mother. It has been very difficult to get the court to grant a fair arrangement which provides adequate quality time with my daughter. To be clear, this is not a petition to get custody of my daughter and I did not “lose” custody of my daughter. I never had any child neglect/abuse nor any alcohol/drug allegations against me. This unfortunate situation occurred simply because of the flawed court system. The state of Arizona wrongfully named itself the “home state” in this case and decided that because my daughter was born in Arizona she should remain there. Family court and custody is not something you can view as a black-and-white issue since there are so many gray areas. Also, since Arizona is the “home state” I cannot have the case transferred to Michigan to get a new attorney or judge to review the case.
I never want any parent to experience the heartache that I feel each day that I wake up and my daughter is 2000 miles away from me. This has caused me to miss many milestones and so much precious time with my daughter that I will never be able to recover. This situation has shown me that beyond raising money for my own appeal, law reform and advocacy for parents is also needed.
Almost five years of attorneys/court fees and flights to and from Arizona, on top of everyday living expenses has caused me to become tens of thousands of dollars in debt - all for the chance to be given a fair custody arrangement.
In April 2024, I began a very lengthy and expensive appeal process in hopes of having a new set of judges review my case. After consulting with my attorney, I have been told that since the court overlooked pertinent information, an appeal would most likely be favorable for me. The appeal gave me the opportunity to have my case reviewed by a new panel of judges in the Appellate Court, who would hopefully see everything that was missed by the previous judges.
In the current arrangement, I am only allowed visits with my daughter in Michigan for school breaks. This gives me roughly 10-12 weeks to spend with my child each year - which is not nearly enough quality time for a daughter to spend with her mother.
Anyone who knows me personally knows I NEVER ask for anything, even if I desperately need help. I have worked three jobs in the past to support myself and the court costs, but now the costs have become too great for me to cover. I am an educated and gainfully employed individual who is working tirelessly just to stay afloat, all while missing my daughter tremendously and trying to recover financially and emotionally from a costly divorce/custody battle.
The funds raised will help cover the costs associated with the custody case. Since I did not have the money readily available to fund the appeal, I had to rely on credit cards and small loans to pay for the attorney and plane tickets for my parenting time. Due to the increased amount of debt I have incurred, it has caused me to have trouble keeping up with my bills and basic necessities and I have to surrender my apartment and move in with family members.
Even if you cannot give or share this fundraiser, please say a prayer for my daughter and I. Divorce is already very difficult for all parties involved and can have long-term negative effects on a child. I am trying to give my daughter the most healthy and peaceful life a child can have with divorced parents. In this instance, there is absolutely no reason why my daughter should be living apart from her mother. I never thought I would find myself in this situation, and I cannot imagine what my life (and my daughter’s life) would be like if this current arrangement continues long-term.
To be honest, a move back to Arizona is not possible for me at this time nor is it necessary since I should have been granted permission to relocate with my daughter during the divorce. I have been in therapy for over five years and working so hard to rebuild my life after divorce. I have moved back to MI to build my career and have the family support I need during this transition period. I do not have the financial stability to sustain another cross country move and start over once again. This has by far been the most difficult season of my life and the financial burden makes it merely impossible to be able to thrive.
Thank you for listening and I appreciate any assistance you can provide.
Update 1/2025 - I recently received the good news that my appeal was successful and that I won! While this is great news for me, the fight is far from over! I wish this ruling meant that Victory would be able to move to Michigan with me immediately, but this is not the case. I have to return to court, yet again, to prove to the same judge why a move to Michigan is in Victory's best interest. I am confident that I did not come this far to fail and I will continue to fight for what I know is best for my daughter!
Thank you for your continued donations and for sharing my fundraiser. It means the world to me!
-Candace
Organizer

Candace Wright
Organizer
Southfield, MI