Donate to Felicia's Legal Battle for Her Kids

My name is Felicia, and I’m currently going through a rough divorce and custody battle. To preface, I was a stay at home mom from the year 2018 - 2023, until my husband Jack left me and moved in with his girlfriend. We agreed to give his mother temporary guardianship (not legally binding) in Chicago while we tried to come to a living arrangement with me still living in our family home. All the while I was living there, he had stopped making payments on the mortgage, utilities, car payments, and credit cards. I had to get a job. I began as a server at Applebees. It was my first job in 5 years and I did not make enough money to support myself let alone to pay off these debts. He persisted I get on and move out so we could sell the house…this was not financially feasible. Fast forward many months—the children were taken behind my back from his mother to live with my husband and his girlfriend in the state of SC, without informing me or my consent. I only found this out via my own family after she called them in an attempt to manipulate them that I am mentally unstable and abusive. I had no vehicle as mine was totaled and couldn’t afford to buy a new one. The next month I gained a better paying job at Gulfstream—however there was a lapse of no pay in between this period, and I struggled once more to even feed myself. After a few months at this new job I began paying for a weekly rental car to ensure I had a reliable ride to work, but it was eating my paychecks. Eventually I found a coworker to move in with at a reasonable price, but it wasn’t ideal to my situation. I then moved in with my now boyfriend in September of this year. He has been kind enough to aid me in rides and finances. On top of this, I have not been able to see or speak to my own children regularly. The last my husband allowed me to speak to them was October 13th, when my children informed me that they had moved to Washington state…I have been begging and asking to see my children for months. I have never been unstable or incapable of providing a loving, caring environment for my children. My husband has been slandering my name, claiming my mental instability and fear for his safety all the while he alienates my own children from me. He has been manipulating everyone to think otherwise. I say all of this to ensure the full picture is given—I haven’t had the mean to get a lawyer, and my husband served me with divorce papers in May of this year. I’d been representing myself until a few weeks ago, but it’s taking 95% of my weekly paychecks. I am paying $800 a week, and it is worth every penny…but the holidays are coming up. As a contracted employee, I will not receive pay for the 2 weeks we do not have work in December. I am going to do my best to hustle through the holidays, but I know I can’t realistically make this magic happen to fight this custody battle without some financial assistance. So this is me swallowing my pride again to ask someone to assist me in donating to my legal fees, so I can fight to get my children back that were illegally taken from me.