Hey everyone, this is Gina,

Thank you, thank you, THANK YOU for the $3,915 you all sent our way. Seriously, that amount has been life-changing. When I first made this, I was so scared and embarrassed to ask for help. I was so hesitant to make this, and when I did, others had encouraged me to make the original amount higher, but I was so uncomfortable doing that, and I felt bad asking people for help so I just threw up a number that could stop the immediate disaster—paying our eviction court fines, our rent owed, and getting extra food.

My mom was in tears many days, seeing the help we got, and couldn't believe the outpouring of love and support. It really showed both of us that people really do want to help, and it took so much stress off our shoulders.

For new readers: My mom, my rock, Veronica, is fighting aggressive metastatic breast cancer that has spread to her lymph nodes. The doctors have continued to say through every phase that her diagnosis requires immediate and intense treatment, which she has been in since May of this year. She has had many health complications as a result of the surgeries and treatment, but she is so strong and continues to fight every day. If you know my mom, you know she has never called in sick a day in her life, and we have lived in this apartment for 14 years and never been late on rent. She can't work with how sick she has been, and the lost income is why we were facing eviction. I even picked up a part-time job. But balancing work and being her primary caretaker is just not enough to keep us stable.

I realize now that our first request wasn't all that realistic. Now that I have a clearer picture of everything, I know I should have initially asked for more to get my mom completely stable so she can actually focus on fighting this cancer.

So, we’re increasing our overall goal to $10,000.

We decided this with the influence of supporters and friends after we hit a big roadblock. The amazing news is that my mom’s disability (SSDI) was approved. That is huge for our future, but because the date of approval starts on her 50th birthday, September 26, she will not actually collect a single payment until March of 2026. That wait time is apparently a mandatory 5-month period that is standard to any person who applies, but it means that we have a much larger gap to cover than we thought we would.

The other big thing is the court ruling. The judge was so understanding. She saw how hard my mom has been trying and basically said she’d drop the eviction as long as (for the remainder of the time we stay here) we have to pay the current month's rent on time, every month, without fail. And most critically, we still have some back payment rent due that needs to be cleared. If we’re even one day late on the current payment, the landlord has the right to immediately enter the eviction judgment on my mom’s record, which would make finding a place next to impossible.

Our Plan for Long-Term plan:

This $10,000 isn't just catching up on bills—it's securing our future. We know that Housing Access can help us secure better options but they can only help once our back rent debt comes down just a bit more. This makes the funds we need very time-sensitive.

That's why we're also taking advice from Housing Access and HUD and planning to move into a complex that accepts housing vouchers. This is the smart long-term move because if we're already there, the moment a voucher opens up, our rent will get way cheaper.

We were saving up to buy a house someday, but every penny of that savings had to go to food, our car, phone & electric bills, and medicine during this crisis. This $10K goal is to ensure we can get help from HAWC, and to cover the moving costs (deposits, first month). This amount will also guarantee that rent is paid on time every month until March 2026, so we don't have that eviction threat hanging over our heads, or on my moms record.

With the holidays coming up, all we really want is to be safe and secure in a stable home. Hitting this goal means we can give my mom the peace of mind to focus completely on her health and not worry about losing our home this winter.

Please share this if you can. Every share and donation helps us. Seriously, even the smallest amounts add up and have given us hope and the courage to keep fighting. Thank you, from the bottom of our hearts.

with love and gratitude,

Gina & Veronica