Hello friends, family, and kind strangers. For those who don’t know me, I’m Tamika from Michigan, and I am battling Stage 4 Breast Cancer. I have 2 young adults, and I care for my disabled mother. No one wants to see hardship or struggling times, and I do understand everyone has something going on in their lives, but I’m reaching out with a heavy heart but also hope. It’s hard for me to ask for help, but I’m facing some significant challenges and truly need your support.

July 13th marks 4 years since I began my battle with breast cancer. It’s been a long and arduous journey, filled with treatments, surgery, recoveries, and the ongoing challenge of managing my health. My health has significantly impacted my ability to work full-time, allowing me to focus on my well-being and continuing treatments.

On June 18th, a severe storm hit our area, causing extensive water damage to my basement. Unfortunately, after taking almost 3 weeks to inform me, my insurance claim was denied. I was told it doesn’t cover the damage, and I didn’t have specific flood coverage, now leaving me responsible for the entire cost of repairs. The damage is significant, impacting my egress window and the foundation around it. My carpet and crown molding had to be pulled up. A lot of our stuff was damaged (clothes, shoes, couches, and food items). It was a total loss to some of our electronics that were plugged into the surge plug that was submerged underwater.

Anything that wasn’t in totes couldn’t be saved. Because it rained a couple more days after the storm and we had no money to pay for a restoration company, we did the best we could with people lending us commercial fans, small pumps to try to pump out the water, and floor fans, but it still didn’t help because my walls are now mildewed due to the water continuing to run down the walls. This has placed an immense financial burden on me, especially given my reduced work capacity due to my ongoing health situation.

My basement isn’t just a space; it gives me and my family a place of peace, especially for me when I just need to relax and be by myself after receiving my treatments. I wouldn’t be reaching out if I had the means to cover these unexpected and extensive expenses.

Your generous contribution will go directly towards: mold remediation, demolition and debris removal, repairing damaged walls, flooring, and potentially electrical or plumbing, and replacing damaged essential items.

Any amount, big or small, will make a profound difference in helping me restore my basement/home and provide a sense of stability during this difficult time. I am deeply grateful for your compassion, understanding, and support as I navigate these challenges.

Thank you for being a part of my journey towards healing and rebuilding.