UPDATE: Our vehicle was recovered today. While we are relieved it was found, it was returned full of garbage and drug paraphernalia. After careful consideration, we do not feel it is safe to transport our toddler in its current condition. Insurance has confirmed the vehicle will not be totaled, so the next step is to have it professionally cleaned and sanitized by a biohazard/hazmat-certified service to ensure it’s truly safe. Additionally, the original key remains with whoever it was given to, which means the vehicle is not secure. Replacing the keys, locks, and potentially the ignition is now an added and unexpected cost. Once these safety issues are addressed, we plan to trade the vehicle in toward a dependable replacement. This update changes how we move forward, but not why we’re asking for help.

The last few weeks have cracked our family wide open in ways I’m still trying to understand. Our household was thrown into crisis when our teenage son made a series of unsafe choices, disappeared for several days, and put himself in serious danger. Those days were filled with fear, sleepless nights, constant phone calls, and the kind of panic that never really leaves your body once it settles in.

He has been found. He is alive. And while that is the greatest relief imaginable, it’s only the beginning of a very long road.

He’s now entering treatment, and we are doing everything we can to surround him with structure, care, and support while trying to process the heartbreak of how we got here. At the same time, we’re still parenting our toddler—who needs stability, routine, and regular medical appointments—while we attempt to hold everything together emotionally and logistically.

In the midst of this, we lost reliable transportation. Right now, that single issue has quietly become one of the biggest obstacles in front of us. Between appointments, evaluations, therapy, and basic daily needs, getting from point A to point B has become incredibly hard without a dependable vehicle.

This fundraiser is not about luxury, upgrades, or “getting ahead.” It’s about trying to regain a small sense of footing. We’re simply hoping to raise enough for a down payment on a modest used car—something safe and practical—to help us get our kids where they need to be during a time when life already feels impossibly heavy.

I want to say this clearly and without guilt or expectation: I fully understand how hard things are right now for everyone. The cost of living is crushing. Groceries, rent, gas, childcare—everything costs more, and most of us are just trying to survive. If you’re reading this and can’t donate, please know there is absolutely no shame in that. Even sharing this, or just holding our family in your thoughts, means more than you know.

This is one of the hardest things I’ve ever had to admit out loud—that we need help. But I also know that families fall apart quietly all the time because they’re afraid to ask. We’re choosing honesty instead.

We’re picking up the pieces. We’re showing up for our children. We’re taking this one appointment, one conversation, one day at a time.

If you’re able to help in any way, thank you from the bottom of our hearts. If you can’t, please don’t apologize—your kindness, understanding, and compassion still matter.

We believe healing is possible. We believe in our kids. And we’re doing everything we can to keep moving forward, even when our hearts are broken.

Thank you for reading. ❤️