Hello, my name is Joshua, and I'll be direct to the point: I'm pretty much down on my luck with bills to pay. I'm a full-time student, a diabetic, and the grant I receive is a paltry amount, covering about $450 to $500 a month. However, I spend about $1,500 per month for my bills and essential needs, including groceries, toiletries, and personal expenses like textbooks, laundry detergent, fabric softener, toilet paper, paper towels, clothing, diabetes medical supplies (test strips and lancets), and prescription medicine that Medi-Cal no longer covers. This amount also includes personal transportation for myself, and food and other expenses, such as my mobile phone and news subscriptions. 

In August, my father had a heart attack, so in addition to my studies, I have been helping my mother care for him when I have free time. They, too, are not well-off, and so they are unable to help me.

It has been an upward struggle with my finances, and with my education too, as I have put it on and off the back burner for several years now. I left college in my early 20s to work, and several years later, I had a workplace accident that hindered me from working for more than a decade. I lost my job, my apartment, my health, and the places I loved in the San Francisco Bay Area. It was humiliating to move back in with my parents, but as I had nothing much to do, I decided to return to education online while caring for my elderly parents, especially my father.

Crowdfunding is essentially my last resort, to publicly and humbly ask you all to help me get through the next few months. My ultimate goal is $8,000, and your contribution, no matter how small it is, can make a significant impact on my life. I do hope you can be kind enough to help me through this difficult time, and that the Universe will requite your compassion and kindness in the best way. Thank you very much indeed.