Not long ago, I had to make one of the hardest decisions of my life. I left California and moved to Ohio to escape an abusive living situation and try to start over somewhere safe. When I left, I didn’t have the luxury of taking my life with me. Almost everything I owned had to be left behind in a storage unit in California, with only the hope that someday I might be able to bring it to my new home.

Starting over from nothing has been incredibly difficult. It took me more than six months to finally find a job, and during that time I struggled just to survive. Even now that I’m working, I’m barely scraping by and doing everything I can just to stay afloat.

All of my belongings are still sitting in that storage unit, thousands of miles away. Right now, I simply don’t have the means to bring them here. My hope is to raise enough to cover the cost of renting a U-Haul, storage supplies, the storage fees, and the expenses needed to finally move what little I have left of my life to Ohio.

Through all of this, my two cats, Jake and Cheryl, have been my only constant comfort. On days when everything feels overwhelming, they are the ones who remind me to keep going. They’ve been with me through the worst moments of my life, and they’re part of the reason I keep trying to rebuild.

Asking for help is incredibly hard for me, but right now I can’t do this alone. Any support—no matter how small—would mean more than I can ever put into words. It would help me finally bring my belongings here and take one more step toward rebuilding a stable life after everything I’ve been through.

If you’re unable to donate, sharing this page would mean just as much.

Thank you for taking the time to read my story and for any kindness you’re able to show.