Funds for M

Hi, all. I'm raising money to benefit a close friend's niece -I'll call her M - to help her continue on a path of healing. Apologies in advance for some vague language - her age and situation require a bit of anonymity to preserve dignity for all involved.

M's father passed away in 2007, at the age of 33. After her father's death, her household became impacted by severe mental illness and substance abuse. M's living situation found her repeatedly exposed to abusive men, and in 2021 she was kicked out of the home.

Her uncle, my close friend, took her into his home. He provided her with a safe place to live, a therapist, and a support system of loving family members to help combat her alcohol abuse, eating disorder, PTSD, and debilitating anxiety and depression. With this new support in place, M successfully graduated from High School and started college at Northeastern Illinois University.

M survived a suicide attempt in January of 2023. Since that time she has doubled down on her own mental and physical health recovery. She has remained sober, reached a healthy weight, and continued to succeed at school. She just completed her first year at Northeastern with a 3.5 GPA.

M is currently working on completing her second semester of college. While her struggles with depression and anxiety are still factors, she is dedicated to overcoming her trauma. She recently moved out of my friend's home and into her own apartment.

So here's the ask: M needs some quick assistance to help keep her in her own space and to cover some costs for her multiple health providers. With support and hard work, she will be the first person in her immediate family to graduate college. I know M as a caring young woman. She hopes to be able to work with young children in the future, to provide them the support that has kept her going in recent years - support she feels has literally saved her life.

As is so common these days, I appeal to M's community to help continue this support. Who is M's community? You're part of M's community if you attended Niles North at any time in the late '80s or early '90s. You're part of M's community if you attended New Trier in recent years. You're part of M's community if someone you know and love has been touched by eating disorders, family trauma, suicide, or substance abuse. In short - whether you know her or not, we're all a part of M's community.

Thanks for reading, thanks for sharing, and thanks for any support you feel comfortable providing. All funds from this GoFundMe will go directly to M, under the supervision of her uncle, and will be used to cover rent, tuition, and medical expenses. We're keeping the ask modest - M is proud of her ability to work and earn money to offset all of these challenges. For all she has been through in recent months, we'd like to give community backing to help conquer, grow, and move forward.