Hi, my name is Christine Main, and I am creating this fundraiser on behalf of my friend, Rochelle Reed. We have known each other since high school, and we recently reunited together. I am starting this fundraiser for her because I learned that she has been fighting to get her son back since 2022. In 2022, Rochelle tried to escape domestic violence with her son. Her husband prevented her from leaving the house, and when she called the RCMP for help, he convinced them she was lying and she was forced to leave the house without her son and go to the women’s shelter.

Her husband then prevented her from returning to the house and forbade her to see their son again as a punishment for calling out emotional abuse. She immediately filed a parenting order in hopes of getting 50% custody of her son. Rochelle has depression that became worse due to emotional trauma at home. She had to take medical leave in 2020 because of it. Her husband used her depression as a reason to declare her unfit as a parent. Rochelle is a good mother who has never neglected her son. She loves her son with all her heart.

Despite spending all her savings on a lawyer, the parenting order stated that her husband would make all the decisions for their son, including how much time Rochelle could be with him. And he required that she have supervised visitation.

Her husband decided that Rochelle would only be able to speak to her son for 5 minutes on the phone on Mondays and Thursdays and see him for a few hours one day on the weekend. He declared himself the supervisor, despite Rochelle telling the judge that she was afraid of him. This has been the parenting order in place since 2022. Her son was 9 when this happened and now, he is 12. She has been kept from his life and has not been allowed to be with him during the holidays, including Christmas. But she has followed the orders of the court.

Now, her husband has now suspended all visits between Rochelle and her son and the only way she can fight it is through the Family Court system with a lawyer representing her. Rochelle deserves to have her parenting rights returned to her. Rochelle and her son need each other.

Before the separation, Rochelle was her son’s sole caretaker. She loves him so much. She took care of him like a good mother should. She drove him to school and picked him up, she made all his meals and packed his lunches. She washed his clothes, played with him all the time, read him bedtime stories, and enjoyed all the time she had with him. She managed all his health and dental appointments, she went to his parent teacher interviews, and she maintained his afterschool care while she worked. She advocated for his mental health; she helped him with his homework. She made him feel loved, accepted, and safe. She misses him so terribly that she cries every night.

Her son misses her terribly and desperately needs her too. A child should never be separated from their mother for no valid reason. He needs her to care for him, advocate for him, engage in activities with him, and shower him with love. He needs her constant hugs, kisses, home-cooked meals, and support. Rochelle wants to attend parent-teacher meetings and school council meetings like she used to. Her son is growing up before her eyes without her.

Depression can be managed, and it does not make someone and unfit parent. Rochelle has nurtured her son and raised him since birth. She deserves to be able to raise him again.

Rochelle worked as an RN for 16 years. She worked in the Pediatric Surgery Ward at the Stollery Children’s Hospital for 13 of those years. She has been cleared to return to work and is currently working to renew her RN license. Because she is planning to return to work, her disability payments will soon stop. She has had to move into her sister’s house to prevent her from being evicted from her apartment when the money stops coming in.

Also, due to the exceedingly high cost of legal fees, Rochelle has been unable to retain a lawyer to fight this parenting order. The only avenue she can take is through the Family Court System with a lawyer representing her. She has never qualified for Legal Aid.

She needs money for a damage deposit and to secure a few months’ rent for a half-duplex with a yard while she obtains a job, to give back to her son the housing he had before the separation. She needs money to secure financing for a vehicle so she can drive her son to activities, get groceries, take her son to appointments, and go back and forth to work. She needs money to retain her lawyer and maintain that retainer as she fights for 50% custody for her son. She has been trying to obtain funds for herself since 2024, but was denied the benefits she applied for because her doctor did not submit the required documents. She is appealing against the decision. Because her husband has stopped all the visits with her son, she does not have months to wait for this appeal decision. I am setting up this GoFundMe page in the hopes of raising money to help Rochelle get 50% custody of her son and get her life back again.

Approximate funds needed:

$2K Damage Deposit

$6K Three months’ rent

$3K Down Payment on vehicle

$6K Bills and Expenses for three months if disability gets cut off

$15K + Retainer for her lawyer plus legal fees

All funds gathered here will be distributed through an intermediary who will give funds as needed for the above fees. Any money above and beyond those costs will go towards legal fees.

Thank you for generosity and for taking the time to read this. We appreciate you and anything you can help them with even a share would be wonderful.