Hi, I’m Jordan, and I’m fundraising to help my wife (Abhainn), our two dogs, and I get through what has honestly been one of the hardest years of our lives. We genuinely do not want to do this, but I don’t know what else to do at this point.

Over the past year, every time we’ve caught our breath, something new has knocked us back down. Between medical emergencies, car losses, emergency vet bills and now losing our food assistance for November, we’re out of options and trying to keep our heads above water.

Here’s a rough picture of what the past year has looked like, and how our savings and income has slowly disappeared:

January: We arrived back in the United States after attending school in Ireland to find my wife’s truck riddled with bullet holes and totaled by insurance. We kept the truck, and it works but it’s in rough shape.

January: Our 13 year old terrier, Buoy, tore his CCL- emergency vet bills.

December–April: My wife was extremely sick over the holidays, then job hunted for months (100+ applications) before finally getting hired somewhere in late April.

May: They had to quit that job because of a really bad bipolar episode and medical complications. More testing followed- blood work, colonoscopy, specialists.

Spring: I had to switch ADHD and antidepressant meds multiple times- dealing with allergic reactions (thanks, Wellbutrin), ssri withdrawal, and exhaustion.

April: More vet bills when Buoy started not keeping food down and limping- we spent $1,000 and still got no answers.

June: I broke my foot, which took a month and a half to diagnose and has left me with lasting, chronic pain. I started skateboarding for a shred of joy and community among all of the hardship we were experiencing, often attending Skate Like a Girl drop in sessions. I broke my foot while skating by myself at a skatepark.

July: We had a stalker situation that forced my wife to quit their gym and we filed a police report. It triggered my wife’s PTSD and we endured several pretty scary weeks. We had to lock down our social media and be hyper aware, which didn’t help our mental health.

Summer: I dealt with sciatic pain from walking weird on a broken foot for months. Abhainn started working a very physical job cleaning AirBnBs – a job that was good for their brain, but hardly pays anything and comes with no benefits. We both work as contractors, and our monthly income barely covers our rent and living expenses. We can’t afford to pay our quarterly taxes.

September: We paid $550 for car repairs - then two weeks later, an uninsured driver totaled our parked Subaru. Abhainn sustained whiplash/back injuries from this and was unable to work for a week or two.

October: Our chihuahua, Dolly, got sick and needed emergency vet care ($450), and now Buoy may have a broken foot from launching himself off of our bed despite there being pet stairs.

My wife is sick again and is taking time off of work, I have about $800 left in my checking account, rent is due soon and we may be looking at xrays and other vet bills for Maverick (Buoy).

November: No food benefits.

Any one of these things on its own is doable, and thank god we have a good sense of humor, but cumulatively it’s been rough. By the grace of Medicaid and SNAP we’ve been scraping by this past year, but with no food stamps in November, we are kind of screwed. The only functional vehicle we have is my wife’s 1992 immortal Toyota pickup (bullet holes and all). I can’t drive it because I don’t know how to drive stick (shame). I am waiting for Progressive to pay me for my 2015 Subaru, and hopefully I’ll be able to buy something comparable to replace it, but I am not sure on the timeline right now. Public transit/walking is tricky for me because I am still dealing with pain from my broken foot. I luckily start PT soon.

This doesn’t even scratch the additional credit card debt we’ve had to incur to keep up, as well as a whole debacle with Sallie Mae overcharging me for several months over the spring and summer.

We’re both doing our best- applying for aid, job applications and interviews up the wazoo, juggling bills, and trying to stay functional through all this - but we’re at the breaking point.

We’re asking for $3,500 to cover:

November Rent and utilities ($1550 rent, approx $200-$300 in utilities). Total: $1750-1850

November groceries and basics: $400-500

Vet bills and follow-ups for both dogs: just spent $450 on Dolly, and she has a follow up in a week and a half (at least $120). Care needed for Maverick’s foot- probably $300-600. Total: $870-$1170.

Whatever is left to afford us some breathing room to stabilize and recover, uber costs for me to go get groceries/run errands. Hell, maybe we can go to an event for fun so we don’t lose our minds lol.

For transparency, after hearing what a rough year we have had (and for Abhainn’s birthday), their aunt very generously gifted us a quick trip to Mexico in December (flights and lodging). None of the funds from this GoFundMe will go toward that trip.

My wife continues to go to interviews (has three this coming week alone), and we are really doing our best. If you can donate or share this, it would mean the world to us. Every bit of help goes directly toward keeping us afloat, taking care of our pets, and finally catching our breath after a brutal year.

Thank you for reading, sharing, and helping us hang on.

— Jordan & Abhainn