I never thought I would be writing something like this, and it breaks my heart that I have to. I am sad, because my friend is one of the strongest, most determined mothers I know, doing everything she can despite daily pain. And I am angry—angry that she has been placed in a situation no mother should ever have to face.

My friend and neighbor is disabled. She lives with constant, severe pain from long-term effects of chemotherapy, along with fibromyalgia, neuropathy, sacroiliitis, costochondritis, and degenerative spinal and lumbar disease, etc. Most days she walks with a cane; longer errands require a wheelchair. And yet, she shows up for her two daughters every day, with love, resilience, and a strength most people will never witness.

Right now, she is fighting to keep her electricity on and a roof over her girls’ heads.

She was placed on a prepaid electricity plan without being informed, correctly. She used to qualify for medical extensions, for some reason, she wasn't anymore and was told something so hurtful and alarming that she left the conversation in tears. A rep told my friend, she would have to die without electricity in order to qualify for a medical extension.

This month alone—just December 2025—she has paid over $400 simply to keep her children from freezing.

Last year she was told that using space heaters would help keep her bill lower, so she bought them. Now she’s being told the opposite—that the heaters are making the costs worse and she should use central heat instead. But no matter which option she chooses, the bill keeps climbing. She has only two space heaters, and of course she gave them to her daughters… which means she has been freezing herself, despite cold making her medical conditions drastically worse.

She has had to make an impossible choice:

keep her children warm, or stay warm herself.

And she has been pulling money from her rent just to keep the power on.

When she finally got her balance low enough to switch back to a monthly plan, she was told she would need to pay several fees and a deposit. First it totaled around $600. When she called back later that same day, the amount had somehow climbed to $1,300—an impossible number for a disabled mother already choosing between warmth and housing.

While all this has been happening, she has also been fighting to recover from food poisoning since the start of the month.

This family is at their breaking point.

They will not make it through this Winter without help.

This isn’t just about rent or a bill.

It’s about letting a mother breathe again.

It’s about keeping her girls warm, safe, and stable.

It’s about allowing their mom to focus on healing, physically, emotionally, and mentally—without the constant terror of losing heat or losing their home.

I’ve grown close to this family. I see the love in their home. I see her pushing through pain that would stop most people in their tracks. She never complains. She never asks for much. She just keeps trying.

But this time, she can’t do it alone.

I’ve shared photos of just how much she has paid this month, and how unsustainable this has become. She and her daughters are in real danger of not surviving this Winter without support.

If you can find it in your heart to help—even a small amount—it will make a life-changing difference for this family.

Please help keep them warm.

Please help keep them housed.

Please help give this mother and her daughters a fighting chance.

Thank you for reading, sharing, and caring.

FYI: She doesn't have family and has reached out to several churches and organizations. Which none have funds to help her.