We try not to think about it too often but most of us know deep down that our lives could be changed so quickly, at any time, by a few really crappy life-changing days. The Stirk family is currently facing the humbling, terrifying reality that no matter how hard we work, how good we are, or how much we care about and take care of those around us we cannot always control our circumstances.

If you are reading this you are in some way connected to Kaylee and Kirtus, so I won’t belabor the details. It is sufficient to acknowledge that in a few months they have gone from having two stable full-time incomes to relying on disability and unemployment benefits. They used all their savings when Kaylee first needed surgery, thinking things would get better, but they have only gotten worse.

Even if Kaylee and Kirtus are both able to return to full time work quickly, which isn’t certain, there simply hasn't been enough money coming in to support their big family or deal with the thousands of dollars of medical bills that are starting to arrive ($6,000 and counting). The pressure on them is mounting and it sucks.

It’s never easy to publicly acknowledge we are struggling. If the world were different we wouldn’t need GoFundMe to fill in the gaps for our friends, family, and neighbors when they face hard times. But the world is what it is, so here we are. Our goal is to raise $7,500 to support the Stirks in covering two months of household bills so that they can focus on doing the hard, anxious work of raising and maintaining normalcy for their big family, healing, and finding new employment for Kirtus.

If the Stirks have the good fortune to not need this money for household bills in the next two months they will instead use it towards the thousands they now owe in medical bills.

Thanks for helping to spread the word to the folks that know and care about this family.