This is difficult for me. I support the people who ask for help and give them my kudos because it takes a lot of strength on the inside to put yourself out there and ask. But for me it's just so difficult. I've spent a large part of my life feeling relatively worthless and it's only lately, when coming into my 30s, that I've finally become comfortable in my own skin. And I almost believe that me asking for your guys' help is like slamming my foot on the pedal and backing right out of all that progress. I know that's not true but internally it's hard not to dip into feeling that way. But strength is knowing sometimes when you just.. need help. I need help, desperately.

My name is Joel, and I’m reaching out because I’m facing an emergency situation that has left me struggling to make ends meet. I currently live in a small apartment with, until recently, my mom acting as my guarantor, helping to pay part of the base rent while I covered the rest. It took me until these past couple of years to start learning how to live as an adult, having stagnated for so long, and as a 34 year old now she encouraged me to move to an apartment and live that kind of independent life she wished for me to experience, that I missed out on for so long. All the while she moved to her brothers and sisters in California back in July, August; for personal and better medical support. That was the ideal course of action in our minds.

Tragically, my mother passed away on 11/19/25. I’ve barely had time to grieve her loss, as I’ve been overwhelmed by the reality that I no longer have the financial support I need to get through the remainder of my lease. The leasing office has told me they can’t waive, break, or adjust the lease, so I’m trapped into somehow making it through another six months on my own. And I live here in Washington with only my older sister who is in no position to help, with difficulties and challenges of her own. I'm floundering. I have to live out the rest of my lease in an apartment I can't afford just by myself.

Any and all funds I raise here will go directly toward my living expenses—rent, utilities, groceries, gas, and emergency needs—as well as paying off a medical loan I’m currently responsible for. I've calculated my monthly needs and am happy to share a detailed breakdown with anyone who asks. Your support will help me stay afloat during this incredibly difficult time, providing much needed stability. I’m doing everything I can to find a way forward, and every bit of help makes a real difference.

I genuinely thank each and every person who even takes the time to read this, let alone lend any form of help. I know that my problems pale in comparison to the losses that thousands of other people have incurred, but that just makes the support and consideration from you all that much more meaningful. Once I’m out of this lease, I plan to move somewhere significantly cheaper or find a friend willing to take me in. I’ll take the correct steps so that, ideally, I come to you all with updates of positivity instead of grief and anxiety. The help given will also give me the much needed time I require to finally process, grieve properly, and be able to find some sort of peace with one of the most painful losses I've ever experienced.