I’m Carrie, my tires are scary! Please help me replace them!

Hello. My name is Carrie and I want to thank you for taking the time to visit my GoFundMe page. In 2021, my partner Cheryl became disabled after a sudden illness. She can no longer walk and has to spend the majority of her days and nights in a hospital bed. Her medical insurance doesn't provide any coverage for outside assistance for a caregiver to assist with the things she can no longer do. She relies on me for her daily needs and I am more than happy to be there for her but because of the level of care she needs, she can't be home alone for long periods of time and my options for employment are very limited. During the height of COVID, remote jobs were abundant and being able to work from home wasn't an problem at all. These days, finding remote work is challenging and I haven't been able to find a job that allows me to work from home while being there to help Cheryl as well. We've been getting by on Cheryl's monthly disability check but it's barely enough for one person, let alone two people.

How can I bring in money without having to leave Cheryl alone for long periods of time? Finally, the an answer came.. DoorDash!! I could deliver around town for short periods of time and take myself offline whenever I need to since drivers don't have a set schedule. I would be able to head home to make lunch, dinner, help Cheryl from the bed to the bathroom, whatever needs to be done.. The amount of money I make may fluctuate but it's something, and it works for our situation! I signed up right away and was approved to be a driver. I spent a lot of time Tuesday night looking up advice and tips for new drivers and by Wednesday morning, I was ready to get out there and start making money.

I was at the gas station Wednesday morning when a stranger walked over to tell me my front right tire had something on it. Something on my tire? It sounded strange, so I walked around my car to look. The stranger was correct, there definitely was something on my tire. And I was horrified. The tire had worn completely down to the metal belt and the metal threads were exposed which caused debris and trash from the road to stick on the threads and hang off the tire. I went around to the other side to look at the front left tire and the threads haven't become exposed yet but it's completely bare as well. I knew the tires weren't great but had no idea they deteriorated to such a dangerous condition. I've been extremely lucky that one or both tires haven't had a blowout and knowing the risk, I can't continue driving knowing how much it compromises my safety and/or the safety of others. This means putting DoorDash on hold until my situation changes.

Any donations I receive will be used for the purchase of two new tires and associated fees and taxes. The remainder is an estimation to account for fees GoFundMe deducts from each donation (2.9% of donation amount & $0.30 processing fee) The tire size for my car isn't a common size and finding them in stock locally has been a bit of a challenge. I found the best price in Spartanburg - a larger city about 20 miles away. Since driving there isn't an option, I'll will be using my roadside assistance plan to have it towed. Below is the breakdown of the total amount.

I know this has been a little long and I sincerely thank you for taking the time to read my story. It's important to me to be open and transparent about my situation and what led me here, asking for help from friends and strangers. Any amount would help and nothing is too small. If a few people donate a few dollars, it adds up and gets me closer to being able to be safely back on the road. Also, if you feel comfortable, please share my link on social media. I want to thank you again for your time and thank you for anything you can do, even if you can't donate. It's hard to ask for help but I read a book written by musician Amanda Palmer a few years back that changed my life and made me realize asking for help isn't something to be ashamed of. Life can be hard and there are a lot of people who are willing to help, you just have to ask.

“Everybody struggles with asking. From what I’ve seen, it isn’t so much the act of asking that paralyses us, it’s what lies beneath. The fear of being vulnerable, the fear of rejection, the fear of looking needy or weak, the fear of being seen as a burdensome member of the community instead of a productive one.”

-Amanda Palmer