Debt relief for Michael after bereavement

In the years leading up to the pandemic, my friend Michael had to leave full time work in order to care for his wife Jean, who after 23 years of living with cancer, and many years of chemotherapy and radiotherapy, needed 24/7 care. She eventually passed away during the Covid lockdown. After caring for her so closely through such an extended illness, Michael has since been suffering from a condition known as "complicated grief", which has made coping very difficult and made it a challenge to get back into work.

On top of the normal financial challenges that come from being out of work for an extended period, he is also facing several large debts including overdue mortgage payments on the flat that he lived in with Jean since the year 2000 (the flat was remortgaged multiple times as Jean tried different medicines, plus covering living expenses whilst they were both out of work), as well as overdue service charges, legal fees, and the list goes on. Even as a friend it could feel overwhelming at times to consider Michael's situation - and so this fundraiser is to help provide him with the breathing space he needs whilst he tries to find gainful employment that will allow him to begin repaying some of these debts and get back on an even footing.

Michael is caring, intelligent (he holds a Maths PhD!) and hardworking, and his situation could easily have been any of ours. Please consider whether you're able to help keep him afloat until he is able to find work.