Hey everyone!

Our story begins in 2020: as an owner of a small travel agency, my mom was greatly affected by the start of the pandemic. Her business never recovered. Soon her health started to fade, and as the primary breadwinner of our immediate family, money started to fade quickly as well. As an undocumented immigrant, she had no safety net to tap into. Once the savings ran out, things had to rapidly change—other members of my family needed to chip in. My dad, at an older age, started to work a manual job again, and I’ve taken out 3 personal loans since then to offer them some assistance.

But the money coming in still wasn’t enough to cover the cost of living, and my mother’s health started to quickly decline once more. Now with the current political and economic climate, my mother and my extended family thought it would be best if she returned to South Korea. It’s, in essence, a self-deportation.

Thankfully for us, she will be returning to a situation where she will be well taken care of. She will be living with her side of the family and she will have access to all of the healthcare and safety nets that will be available to her by moving back. As for me, my brother, and my father—we will have to pick up the pieces and start with a fresh slate, but the dead weight of previous costs are keeping us down.

I’m hoping, with your help, I will be able to clear out all of the remaining debt from the 2 of 3 personal loans I have to continue to pay, as well as having funds for my brother and my father as they work on their move! We’re living the heartbreak of the immigrant story gone wrong and it feels all the more painful or even scary with the current social climate of today, but we’re trying to create a positive outcome despite this, through and through.

If you know me personally, you guys know that I don’t ask for much or expect anything in return for any favor done, but helping out in this instance would be huge and we would all be eternally grateful for your support!