Help Kaylee Find Stability After Job Loss and Accident

Hi everyone!

I’m (on the right) asking for financial support for my close friend Kaylee (left), who has recently been facing severe financial hardships due to a car accident, losing their job and their cat’s medical expenses. Since meeting Kaylee last year, I’ve known them as someone who is resilient, caring, and constantly balancing many responsibilities all on their own. I’ve always admired Kaylee’s care and resilience and have often looked to them for support. After hearing everything they’ve experienced these past 4 months, I asked them to let me create a GoFundMe and share their story, despite them being hesitant to ask for help.

Kaylee is currently in their final year at UMSL pursuing a Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology alongside a minor in philosophy of science, an honors certificate, and a certificate in neuroscience. Their goal is to eventually contribute to research and improve the accuracy, accessibility, and utility of the diagnostic process for neurodiverse individuals.

Nearing finals, in April of 2025, without warning Kaylee was fired from their job of 3 years. They were fired for an issue that was directly related to symptoms of their disability, which had been unmanaged due to an ongoing medication shortage. Kaylee had been unable to obtain their daily medication for months and had previously informed their manager about the situation in an attempt to avoid impacting their work. The lack of warning from management, which also went against company policies, prevented them from knowing they were at risk of losing their job. Immediately after the event, Kaylee reached out to the next person in the chain of command, expecting the issue to be quickly resolved. However, the supervisor insisted that he had no reason to believe the manager did anything wrong.

Afterwards, Kaylee’s request for unemployment was denied, leaving them to rely solely on their savings. As a full-time student, there were additional barriers to Kaylee finding suitable work. Kaylee obtained some part-time work at a local cafe, but their savings were still depleting. Uber became Kaylee’s primary source of income.

In October, while doing an Uber trip, Kaylee was hit by an uninsured driver. Unfortunately, the person who hit them was never held responsible for anything, as they had presented a current, but invalid, proof of insurance at the scene of the accident. Although Kaylee held an active full coverage policy through their personal insurance, coverage was denied because they were providing rideshare services at the time. Luckily, no one was injured and Uber’s insurance provided some coverage for the accident, but the deductible was an overwhelming $2,500.

After nearly a month of the insurance companies sorting out who was responsible and what would be covered, Kaylee was able to get their car into a shop. Kaylee chose to bring their car to Caliber Collision, which then continuously delayed repairs on their vehicle, supposedly due to weather and backordered parts. It wasn’t until 3 months later in mid January 2025 that the shop actually began disassembling Kaylee’s vehicle, only for it to then be deemed totaled by the insurance company.

During these months, Kaylee struggled to support themself both without a car and while in school full-time. Additionally, their two beloved cats, Midna and Chihiro, began struggling with numerous health issues during this time, requiring multiple vet visits and medications.

With the hope and expectation to soon be reunited with their vehicle and get back on solid ground, Kaylee secured a position as a paraprofessional, supporting local individuals of the autistic community in developing essential skills for independent living both in schools and in the individuals’ homes. Kaylee is passionate about their work and has received wonderful feedback from their supervisors so far, but their ability to continue this work is challenged without the promise of reliable transportation.

For more context on why Kaylee needs financial support:

Currently, to ease some of the stress on transportation for Kaylee's new job, Kaylee’s partner has been able to help by sharing his car, taking on the burden of finding rides throughout the week, since Kaylee’s schedule requires multiple trips throughout the day and requires protection of client confidentiality. Unfortunately, Kaylee’s partner’s livelihood is now also at risk as his employer recently filed for bankruptcy and continues to lay off hundreds of employees. Luckily, Kaylee’s partner has been given the opportunity to work at another company doing environmental work he would love, but the job requires him to have a personal vehicle he can use for training, adding to the urgency of Kaylee finding a replacement vehicle.

Unfortunately, Kaylee is not able to turn to family for support. For the last 5 years, they haven’t had a relationship with their father, who raised them, due to dangerous life-threatening situations he put himself, Kaylee, and Kaylee’s then 5-year-old sister in. Kaylee has occasionally had brief communication with their mother during this time, who has been able to provide a total of $200 for groceries, despite her own struggles with job security. However, Kaylee continues to have very little relationship with their mother, as she was absent for the majority of their life. The only other family support Kaylee has had during this time is an aunt providing leftovers to help make sure Kaylee is fed.

They have tried to make the most of every resource they can during these hard times, even reaching out to their university for support. The university was able to connect Kaylee with a grant to cover the cost of continuing their education this Spring 2025 semester and a housing insecurity grant that covered their rent for January-March. Their current rent is 1050 a month, plus electricity and wifi, which is needed for their schooling. They are hoping that with a car, they will be able to build up the remaining $2500-$3000 they will owe August to pay for their graduating semester this Fall.

By the time Kaylee got the news that their car was totaled, they had already used the initial insurance payout to help them stay afloat. After paying off the remainder of Kaylee’s car loan and accounting for the deductible and the initial payout, Kaylee was left with roughly $5000 to replace their car. As the financial support from the housing grant comes to a close, the remainder of the payout is not enough to cover the cost of a replacement car, Kaylee's daily necessities, in addition to Kaylee's cats continued need further medical treatment. In an attempt to afford everything, Kaylee has had to forego basic necessities, making things much more stressful.

I believe that with our help, Kaylee can overcome these obstacles and continue to make progress toward their well deserved goals. This is why I am asking for $6000 to relieve some of the financial burden Kaylee is facing right now by helping them purchase a car.

Kaylee has so much potential to succeed and continue making an impact on the people around them. With everything they have been through and who they are as a person, they deserve this chance to reestablish stability in their life. I know they will make the most of it. From my own personal experiences, without the help of community and gofundme, I wouldn’t be able to be where I am, which is why I know this would be a major solution for Kaylee’s hardships.

So, if you can, please donate, and if you can’t donate, please take a moment to share with others who might. Any amount will make a huge difference. Thank you for your generosity, love, and support during this difficult time.