Hi. Unfortunately, my mother and I have reached a place where we need to ask for assistance to keep us going. The house we've lived in together for 25 years has become unlivable and the path we are on to get it back is overwhelmingly expensive and seems never ending.

My mom has worked tirelessly as a single mother to keep her 2 children afloat. She has poured thousands of dollars into this house all on her own by working extra jobs and side hustles. As a survivor of abuse, multiple traumas, and multiple financial hardships, my mom has always shown strength, trying to rise above and persevere. She started collecting antiques and things that caught her eye to cope. The small comfort of collecting items for future art projects and home furnishings turned into a larger issue and for years the clutter has slowly been taking over several rooms of our house. Collecting items became a crutch and trying to get a handle on it became difficult for her, as this is a complex issue fueled by shame, guilt, and untreated mental health struggles. The clutter has now led to more compounding issues and we're now at a point of mandatory and massive change. It's time to reclaim our home.

Recently, many homes in our neighborhood were leveled to the ground for new house construction creating an increase of pest sightings. In November of 2025, we started finding mouse droppings in the small spaces between items in our house. As we started moving things around, reaching the baseboards along the walls, we realized the severity of the issue. Tucked away places have become nesting spots for the mice that found their way in. We've discovered mouse droppings in every single room of our house and the potential diseases they carry have been released into the air. We're unsure how long we've been breathing this all in. Most of our belongings are contaminated, including our clothing, family photos, beds, childhood memories, furniture, etc. As we've started cleaning, we've been uncovering damage to the walls caused by the mice and damages that we previously didn't have access to. There is so much work to be done and we've already been struggling financially without these added costs.

Where will any money donated be going?

1. Cleaning Necessities: Anything we want to save from our house that we've lived in for 25 years needs to be cleaned and sanitized and then put into a tote or box and then put into a storage facility. We need totes, protective gloves, KN95 masks, disinfectants, garbage bags, and boxes.

2. Removal: Everything else needs to be carried out of the house and into a rented dumpster. We may need to hire people for assistance. 

3. Storage: We need to rent a U-Haul or box truck to transport all of our belongings we want to keep to our rented storage unit.

4. Pest Removal: Once our house is completely empty, we need to hire exterminators and wait for every creature to be gone. 

5. Sanitizing: We need to hire a specialized cleaning service to remove all droppings and affiliated waste. The entire house needs to be sanitized, as they have literally been everywhere.

6. Safety: We need to check for damages and inspect our electrical wiring. Holes need to be filled, walls need to be fixed, carpets need to be ripped up, and we need 2 of our doors replaced. 

7. A Place to Stay: On top of all of this, we need somewhere to stay in the meantime. We are extremely lucky to have friends and family willing to let us stay with them for a bit, but we are unsure how long all of these steps will really take. We are also unsure how damaged the house really is and what it will take to make it fully livable.

8. Support: We are seeking access to therapy and professional support to make it through this. My mother is also looking into resources to ensure this pattern doesn't continue. We welcome any resources or advice in this area.

9. In addition, this week we have to put down our beloved 14 year old family dog, Aspen. She has been by our side through so much and has been my mom's unwavering emotional support. This alone is very costly and heartbreaking.

This process has already been incredibly taxing on our mental health and sense of security. Everyday brings anxiety and uncertainty. Our lives have been fully uprooted. We have taken this week off in order to dedicate all of our time to getting things done in the house but soon we won't have as much time. And we won't be able to work in daylight hours. Any help that you can offer us will be so deeply appreciated. Every share of this link helps. Thank you for your consideration and support. For those who can't financially help at this time, it would mean so much to my mom just to hear from you. She'd be grateful for any kind words or advice to help guide us through this.