My name is Sean, and me and my mom have been struggling financially since mid 2024. My dad died in May 2024, leaving us with less than a hundred dollars in the bank, and we've been struggling to make ends meet since then.

I've been applying to job openings since October of 2024 but haven't been hired, and our car broke down the following month, leaving my mom unable to work. That car was then repossessed this January, days after we found a mechanic willing to fix it. Mom has also been trying to find a job to no success. I've been doing visual art commissions to try and bring in some income, but we've mostly been having to rely on the generosity and kindness of strangers, and selling some of our possessions.

As of earlier this month (September 2025) we've been attending a community college, trying to forge a path forward to a better future for ourselves. We've utilized public transit, but the busses we ride don't come into our town; the nearest bus stop is 8 miles away. My mom's friend has been extremely generous, offering us rides whenever he's available, but his truck only fits one of us. The other has to either walk or bike the 8 miles to the bus stop, or back home.

My mom's health has been getting worse over this period, as the physical strain (especially in her back and her legs, the latter of which have often been swollen recently) has been taking a toll. In addition, I was sent to the hospital on Tuesday, Sept. 9th as the journey the prior day left me badly dehydrated, unable to stand and requiring IV fluids.

Aside from the physical toll, it also takes an hour to travel that 8 miles on a bike, or two and a half on foot; by the time of getting home, it's late and there's little to no energy left to do college homework. We don't have power at home right now, so using phones to do online work is dicey, given our inability to charge at home.

The college has offered support with purchasing a car, which surprised us but we are happily taking the help. However, this also requires my mom to take out student loans, and those won't be able to cover insurance or registration, or gas money. Any funds acquired from this fundraiser will be used for those purposes. If we can get a reliable car, we can make the trip to campus without issue, and we'll be able to apply for part time jobs in a much larger area; the town we live in is quite small and does not have much employment opportunity. Proper transport is the absolute biggest roadblock for us right now.

Please, share this where you can, and if you can donate anything- even a single dollar- please consider it. It helps more than you'd expect. Thank you to everyone who's shows us kindness over the past year and a half, whether you've sent us money, been a warm friend, or have just taken a passing read of anything I've posted in the past year and a half. The road ahead is not an easy one, but the support me and her have gotten has made it possible to travel in the first place.