For those who know me, you know I am not the kind of person who usually asks for help. My name is Stoyan, and for the past 10 years I have been living in the USA, doing everything I can to build a life here and handle my immigration process the right way. For 9 years, I have been fighting this process on my own, and in the last 3 years alone I have spent a little over $20,000 on legal and immigration-related expenses. Then my life was turned upside down when I was unlawfully arrested by ICE and detained for 3 months. During that time, I missed 3 months of rent, fell behind on my credit card payments, and now I am also facing legal fees that I cannot manage alone. I also lost 24 lbs in almost 3 months and now have health issues I need to attend to because I was underfed in the ICE detention center.

I already have a job, but I live in a seasonal town, and during the off-season the income is simply not enough to catch up on everything. Because I missed 3 credit card payments, my balance was sent to collections, which has made this even harder. I am asking for help so I can catch up with my landlord, cover my overdue credit card bills, pay my legal fees, and take care of the health issues that came after my detention. My goal is not to profit from this situation. I just want to cover the expenses that came from something that happened through no fault of my own, get back to normal daily life, and repay the people who stood by me when I was at my lowest.

This fundraiser is very hard for me to share because I have almost always been the one helping others, not asking for help myself. My friends encouraged me to create this because they know how much I have been carrying alone. If you are able to support me, whether by donating or sharing this fundraiser, it would mean more than I can express. Thank you for reading my story, for believing in me, and for helping me get through this difficult chapter.