This last year has been a wild ride, not always a fun one, but definitely wild.

As many of you know we had to make an impromptu emergency move to a new house from October through November. This unplanned life event set us back to zero. We drained our savings, found financial help available to us for what else we needed, and thought that things were finally going to settle down for awhile after the whirlwind of family loss, medical issues, and career changes.

However, as life usually goes, yesterday my car had a catastrophic engine failure. The required fixes to the engine outprice the cost of a whole new engine. As the car is on loan, the simple solution of scrapping or selling it is off the table as well. Come to find out through this all that my warranty expired a few thousand miles ago. And, unfortunately, local mechanics are unable to fix these issues and we are resigned to having to use the dealership for parts and labor. The quote I was given was $3300 for labor, and between $5000-$6000 for a whole new engine, with a total around the ballpark of $8000.

While we are looking at options for financial assistance through our county, many options have exhausted their funding. We are applying what we can and hoping for the best. We have also been looking at automotive salvage yards for an engine with no luck thus far, but will keep looking.

Asking for help is never easy. Asking for help from strangers, friends, and family is certainly no exception. Any help that could be provided while navigating our vehicular struggles to afford the cost of towing and repair, would mean the world to us. This vehicle is entrusted to get me to my source of education, take our son to his appointments, take him to his education, transport myself and my husband to our jobs, get groceries and necessities, and how we get to see our friends and family, especially in the holiday season. We have some help for the short term, but we need help to navigate these issues for the long term.