Hi everyone, my name is Lourdes Stephanie. I recently got into a car accident that completely totaled my car. Thank God I walked away without injuries. Which I’m so grateful for. On the other hand, losing my car has been devastating for me both emotionally and financially.

I moved to Illinois from New York chasing growth and independence. I’ve come so far on my own, without any family out here, and my car played a huge part in helping me build stability. I’m a tattoo artist, and while tattooing is my passion, it doesn’t always cover all my bills. To stay afloat, I worked hard doing DoorDash and Uber Eats on the side — but without my car, I’ve lost that source of income completely.

Unfortunately, I was found at fault since I was coming from a stop sign, even though the other driver was speeding well over the limit. I yielded for a while , went ahead and didn’t see him coming until I was hit while turning left. My insurance or his isn’t helping, and now I’m left without transportation or financial support to recover from this.

I’ve been working on launching my Etsy shop to grow my art business, but the stress from this situation has made it hard to focus. I’ve also been actively looking for jobs to stay on top of my bills. Any donations would go toward helping me cover bills, get back on my feet, and hopefully get another car so I can return to work and rebuild what I’ve lost.

If you’re looking to get a new tattoo, that helps tremendously too..I’d love to earn my way through this recovery, not just ask for help. Every bit of support means the world to me, whether it’s a donation, booking a tattoo, purchasing my art or simply sharing my story.

Thank you for believing in me and helping me keep going.