Hi, my name is Rory Callahan. I’m 31 years old and I live in Waterbury, CT. I am a single parent to an incredible 3.5 year old, and I just recently came out as transmasculine and nonbinary.

The past several weeks have been extremely challenging for me. I was recently diagnosed with ADHD and began to do a great deal of processing that often comes with receiving a later-in-life diagnosis.

I began advocate on my own behalf to pursue protections and accommodations for myself.

In the midst of processing my diagnosis, I came to understand and realize that I have a great deal of unresolved trauma for a variety of past experiences, and that many of these experiences could be traced back to the core belief that it was unsafe for me to be who I truly was.

This has opened a floodgate of traumatic processing for me, and I am actively working with an experienced trauma-treatment-informed mental health professional to deal with this acute period of processing and related vulnerability and stress. I am also taking a short term leave of absence from work in order to prioritize my mental wellbeing.

The past few weeks have not only been mentally and emotionally draining, but financially as well. I was hit with some unexpected expenses and my car payment just came out this morning and now my account is significantly in the negative.

I am reaching out to ask my friends and community for a small amount of financial support to help me make it out of the red and to the end of the month. The $500 I am asking for will help cover the car payment that my account is currently negative for, with a bit left over for some gas and a small amount of necessary groceries.

Any amount you can spare would be deeply appreciated. I am set to be receiving CT Paid Leave coverage for the duration of my leave, and that will cover my salary about 95%. I should be fine as soon as I get paid next, which is about a week away, but the $500 in the meantime would just really help me and my daughter squeak by! Thank you for your generosity!