Hi everyone,

I'm Tim, a 30-year-old from the Netherlands. For those who don't know my story yet (and a massive thank you to the amazing FGN community for giving me the push to set this up): writing this is pretty difficult for me. I'm not great at asking for help because I always tell myself there are people out there who have it worse. But I'm doing it anyway, because after a long and difficult period, it's getting better now!

A few years ago, I fell down the stairs, resulting in a fractured skull and lasting neurological issues, like tinnitus and rapid overstimulation. Unfortunately, I was discharged from the hospital too soon without the right professional guidance, leaving me to figure out how to rebuild my life and career entirely on my own.

Because my energy levels remained low, I could only manage to work a maximum of three days a week in my old job as a social worker. Financially, this barely covered my rent and groceries, meaning I was never able to build up any savings. I just kept pushing through without the proper support, which sadly led to a severe burnout last year.

Fortunately, this year I am finally getting the professional help I need to get back on my feet. I am currently enrolled in a government track to retrain from a social worker to a software developer. This is a massive opportunity for me: as a developer, I will be able to work from home much more, which makes managing my overstimulation so much easier. I am doing a lot better now, but I am still actively recovering.

Why I need your help

During this retraining period, I am living on government benefits, which comes down to about 70% of the part-time wage I used to earn. Because I have no savings, this is simply too little to get by. When i shared this with the FGN Community they immidiatly stepped up and told me they would help me out.

I hope to finish my studies this summer and get back to work. But until then, this really helps me out!

Thank you so much for reading my story.

With kind regards,

Tim