<div>Hey,

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<div>My name is Samantha C., but in many online communities, I go by Isatis. This isn't a post I thought I would have to make given how I entered 2025 last year with a lot of optimism and hope as the year went by, but by the time autumn rolled around, things took a different turn.

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<div>I'm trying to raise <strong>$3,500 to help cover monthly expenses for the next couple of months</strong> between rent, food, utilities, lifesaving medications, and help repairing my partner's Chevy vehicle that's sort of breaking on us... which will hopefully lead to a brighter 2026.

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<div>For background:

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<div>I worked in the cybersecurity field for over a decade, more specifically as a security penetration tester and security engineer, so I normally love testing websites and mobile apps for security vulnerabilities and generating a report with technical writing around said vulnerabilities. I was in the process of getting the Offensive Security Web Expert (OSWE) certification, one amongst many, when things took a downturn.

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<div>Unfortunately, I was laid off from a job I'd been at around April 2024, alongside nearly a quarter of the team. It was the best one I'd ever had up to that point, with a kind and supportive manager and work environment that was both collaborative and had a straightforward process for me to best lend my skills to.

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<div>Temporarily, I had found a replacement full-time job later on in 2024, but due to harassment and sentiments rooted in misogyny and anti-LGBTQ, I was let go after 4 months without warning. As 2024 led into 2025, a lot of networking and applying to many jobs per day had not yielded any more jobs, and the few interviews I was able to get were not panning out as many candidates seemed to be applying as well. The conversations with people I've had in the security field at meetups and conferences tended to trend toward pessimism for job openings due to the broader economic downturn.

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<div>I had planned for this and had a year and a half's worth of savings that I could rely on. Alongside this, even up to 6 months ago, there were promising signs that I was possibly going to join a company as a security engineer, but several things did not pan out the way I had expected. This is when things tightened up. I sold my car, cut unnecessary services I was paying for, and was making sure I could still find something by the end of 2025. This didn't happen, and so this is my last option, as bad as I feel for asking for help.

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<div>The situation today:

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<div><strong>I haven't given up looking. I haven't stopped applying for work every single day the past several months, even at the cost of my mental health and fighting self-harming urges, since I've had to ration the expensive medication I'm on.</strong>

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<div>My partner is doing the best they can to help me in this situation; however, they are dealing with financial troubles of their own given their mother is in the hospital and brother was laid off, and are unable to cover enough to help as a result.

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<div>Many people know me across several online gaming communities as I help out others, hear them out, have donated to others who are having financial troubles as well, and volunteer for creators and organizations. I've made contributions via programming and moderation in a few communities and made a lot of friends that way. When I can get back on my feet, I'm hoping to continue contributing again.

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<div>Given that I no longer live in the place I've lived for the past 5 years (Seattle), and the fact that I cannot even afford to do bloodwork, I am without one of my medications as well.

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<div>To compound this, I am not only on the autism spectrum and have ADHD, but I am physically disabled as well, which prevents me from finding temporary work (involving standing or walking) in the area while I look for a full-time role in the field again. I deal with pain in my legs spurred by a childhood injury involving multiple glass shards cutting open things, which left stitches and a botched rehabilitation that never healed properly as I grew older.

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<div>I'm asking for $3,500 to help me make sure I can stay afloat and stop rationing both food and said medications in pursuit of my next big opportunity. If you are able to donate, I'd really, truly appreciate it, as it will lighten the stress and anxiety that I have been dealing with for the past year.

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<div>Thanks,

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<div>Samantha C.

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