I never thought I'd have to do this, the near future of this rescue is uncertain, and I am absolutely panicking.
Unfortunately this needs a bit of a back story so please bear with me.

I have never been a healthy person. I have spent most of my life in and out of hospitals. I have an autoimmune disease as well as a few other chronic issues. Because of this my mental health suffered greatly when I was younger. But then birds happened.

I tend to obsess about things I care about. My passion for these feathered creatures grew, and so did my knowledge. This made me want to help others, and in doing so I gained confidence and the strength to carry on.  I had a reason to get up and fight every day.

I lived with my mom longer than most, but eventually I did venture off, though into a rental.  My goal was and has always been to save money to buy a place for these guys, something amazing, that would be paid for completely and set up for them to stay even after I was gone. (Birds can live into their 80s and tend to bond only to one person)

Unfortunately because of these chronic health issues, despite having a good work ethic, my work history is full of gaps where I had hospital stays. That being said, my bills have always been paid, and the birds have always had everything they've needed. One thing I've never skimped on is their care. Even with bills being paid, at this point I cannot get a mortgage because I personally do not have a huge savings.
I had planned, with the hopes of some of my iillnesses hopefully soon being managed, that I would now be able to really buckle down and save every penny.  But the ground was pulled out from under me today and now our place is suddenly up for sale.

We have had great, understanding landlords. I have strived to be good tenant. That being said there's no guarantee whoever buys this place will have the same compassion.

I do have the opportunity to take over a house. But this house needs extensive work probably to the tune of $60,000. And while better than a mortgage, I can not come up with this so quickly. Again, we were not expecting this.

If you've ever had a chance to get to know me, REALLY  get to know me, you'd know I'd do anything for anyone. I have tried to live with compassion and understanding for everything that crosses my path. I am actually a very shy person and tend to isolate either because social situations are overwhelming, or because I feel like I'm "bothering" people.

These birds are the air that I breathe. I'm good at what I do, I have helped so many, but I need them as much as they need me. Without them, there is no me.

I have never liked asking for anything unless it's for them. So now, with tears streaming down my face and trying to swallow my pride I am reaching out.

We are doing this  gofundme but I'll be honest, the critics out there scare me. The ones that will say I don't have my priorities straight. You have to understand I WOULD NOT have made it this far in life without them. We have this bond I can't explain. Call it crazy. Maybe it is.

So for now, I put this out here, wincing a little because I'm sure there will be hate. When you want to fade into the background reaching out for help is a very painful experience.
I'm going to start a fund to hopefully restore this house. Though if anyone has any leads on something else too please let me know.  I have considered something more industrial for them (my dream is an old school, where I could open up the rescue and an education center).  

I know this was a long read. I know we all have stories and mountains to climb, and each one is important. I truly thank those that took the time to read mine. I also know some people are not in a position to donate. And if you can't or don't want to, please, PLEASE share.

With love as always,
Diane Cooke, "The bird lady"