We are Ian and Liz (the Thomiase clan). We started a successful business 4 years ago. Last year, Ian started expressing his gender identity and all of the company's clients and prospects dried up. After going through a full years' savings, weathering a couple of government shutdowns, and selling everything they could, it was time to find work.

I (Ian) found a job, but the weekend before I was supposed to start, I suffered what seems to have been a transient ischemic attack (TIA), which is a mini-stroke. Amid recovery and lots of expensive testing, I'm unable to start working.

With nothing left and weeks to go until I can work again, Liz and I need help with medical bills (about $2k), health insurance payments ($1,900), rent/utilities ($5,500), and the debt we've built up trying to get through the shutdown over the last month.

Anything you can do to help is appreciated more than you can know. The $6,000 goal won't cover everything, but with this and some side gigs, we just might be able to make it until I can work again.