Divorce is expensive. Legal protection is expensive. And doing the right thing—to set an example for your children—is expensive.

Hi, my name is Kiersten Laird, and I am fundraising for my best friend, Kendra King.

Kendra is a Paramedic and a mother of three girls. If you know her, you know she is the kind of woman who handles everything quietly—without making a show of it. She works. She mothers. She pursues higher education. She keeps moving forward—even when life drags her down.

For years, Kendra has been carrying the war wounds of navigating what has felt like an endless divorce—silently.

She has stayed quiet to avoid drama. She has stayed quiet to protect her girls. She has stayed quiet because she is not someone who needs to “win the narrative”. While the other party received support publicly, Kendra has been swallowing the pain and pushing forward—alone.

Even with my background that includes years of work with survivors in the domestic violence field—I still did not fully understand or see the signs of what Kendra was going through.

That is the thing about women like Kendra. They do not announce their suffering. They minimize. They protect. They function. They keep the peace. They keep going. And sometimes even the people closest to them miss pieces of it—because survivors like Kendra become experts at suffering quietly.

Sometimes the strongest women are the easiest to miss—because they make survival look like strength.

Kendra finally agreed to the idea of a GoFundMe after more than a year of covering legal expenses while also managing the responsibilities of three children and a mortgage—on her own. The cost of divorce has become suffocating, and the courtroom process continues moving forward with no regard for how heavy this is on a single mother just trying to stay afloat—especially around the holidays.

This fundraiser will help Kendra cover:

• Divorce attorney fees for ongoing legal representation

• Court filings and related family law expenses

Please consider donating or even just sharing. The goal is simple: to help Kendra reach the other side of this with the legal support she needs—so she can secure a future of freedom and stability without being buried under the financial baggage divorce brings.

Kendra deserves a village of family and friends—and where there are gaps, my hope is that the community she has cared for so deeply will step up and care for her in return.

With love and gratitude,

Kiersten Laird