Hi, my name is Sami Thompson, and I'm raising funds for my younger brother, Steve Robertson. We’ve always been very close despite the 13-year age difference.

Ten years ago, GoFundMe was crucial in raising funds for me to get the lifesaving surgery that prevented a wave of infection from moving through my brain. So, of course, when we began to discuss Steve’s crisis and talk about raising funds, I realized there was nowhere better to start than with GoFundMe.

In order for you to understand why this fundraiser is so vital, I’d like for you to know why my brother, Steve, is so important to me. I’ll try to keep it short:

The things I love and admire most about Steve are: (a) his caring and compassionate nature, both for people and animals; (b) his willingness to help others, even when it’s inconvenient; (c) his unshakable belief in doing the right thing; (d) his work with the AIDS Resource Center, never seeking glory or recognition. Instead, I watched him seek donations on the Center’s behalf, then quietly drop them off; (e) his devotion to all the events he and his partner, Chris, worked and/or participated in to support worthy causes; and (f) his diligence and delight at the quilts he and I created together, usually with tears streaming down our faces, to memorialize the friends we’d lost.

In other words, while other men were working themselves into a six-figure salary, or into an early grave, Steve knew that giving back to his community, and to the world, was more important.

So, when he was finally in a position to purchase a house, Steve could have found a property in the North Dallas area he knew well. Instead, he bought a house in Far East Dallas, near Eastfield College - because it was close to me. My neurological disorders and resulting disability had progressed to the point that I could no longer drive, and Steve thought I "might need more help” with daily life. He was right, of course. Having him & Chris so close has been a blessing.

Last August, Steve was rushed to Baylor ER for chest pains. Although the paramedics suspected it was his heart, it turned out to be his treacherous gallbladder. He was admitted promptly (you know, after the usual 7-8 hours in the ER) and scheduled for surgery the following day. Following surgery, his surgeon explained that his gallbladder had been so infected and inflamed that they couldn't even remove all of it. (Egad!) He stayed in hospital through the weekend, then went home - although he went home with a drainage tube that prevented him from getting fully dressed or moving around much. (Still, he was focused on how and when he could get back to work!)

Just two days later, struggling to breathe and in terrible pain, Steve was again rushed back to Baylor ER. He learned he'd "gone septic" and had to be admitted NOW. He was finally discharged two weeks later.

Steve was out of the office for almost three weeks, which used up every bit of his Paid Time Off (PTO). The resulting loss of salary set him back financially. He's been playing catch-up ever since, and has been attempting to work with the mortgage company, but - unsurprisingly - Shellpoint seems much more interested in accelerating and foreclosing on the loan than in helping Steve in any way. Is this the way they're allowed to treat our veterans?

Shellpoint sent him a demand letter indicating they want all deficiencies and late fees paid by 4/22/2024, or they will accelerate the loan and begin foreclosure proceedings.

Despite assurances like, “Call us - we want to help you” printed on their communications, Shellpoint Mortgage Servicing Company is proving by its actions that it has NO interest in anything except rushing clients to foreclosure.

It assigns a single contact person that Steve is permitted to talk with - one and only one person at the mortgage servicing company can discuss his mortgage problem with him. That’s ridiculous to start with, but it’s made worse in that Shellpoint has no voicemail set up for this solitary contact person, and when this person does finally call Steve, there’s NO identification on the caller ID, so it appears to Chip’s cell phone that it’s a spam caller. And this contact person refuses to leave any kind of a message for Steve, even though he’s calling a personal cell phone, with private voicemail, and has been given permission to leave a message.

Steve has tried repeatedly to call his contact person, but has found the servicing company doesn't even have voicemail set up. He can’t even leave a message for his contact person at Shellpoint When his contact person does call him, there's no identification on the phone number; it's just an unidentified long-distance number that his cell phone automatically sends to voicemail. His contact person refuses to leave a message of any kind.

It’s apparent that Shellpoint is employing a set of tactics to prevent customers from obtaining any kind of assistance or modification, for the express purpose of foreclosing on Steve’s mortgage.

My brother works in a customer-service heavy area of insurance, which means he's on the phone for his work all day. He isn't even supposed to make personal calls during work hours. Trying to respect his employer's policies, Steve has tried over and over to reach his contact person at lunch. This is a hopeless attempt.

Our father taught us that working for a living was a reward in itself, and that asking for assistance was shameful. But none of us can anticipate getting sick, especially really sick, for a long time.

I told Steve I was working on writing the story for a GoFundMe on his behalf and, after a brief sibling argument/discussion about "being reasonable," he agreed. He is investigating short-term loans as an option to pay the amount due, but he realizes that high interest rates will only worsen his financial situation.

I’m determined to find a way to help my brother. He’s always been there for me, and I want to be there for him. He’s an awesome brother, a loyal friend, a new Grandpa, and a genuinely good person.

I hope that, after reading this, you’ll understand why I love him so much, and want to help him by donating. Every little bit does help.

Thanks for taking the time to read this & hopefully donate a few dollars to this project.

Cheers,

Sami

*******

To help you understand why this is so important to me, I need to explain why my brother is so dear to me, and why I'm so proud of him:

His generosity of spirit and willingness to help others;

His work with the AIDS Resource Center, never seeking glory or recognition. Instead, I watched him seeking donations on behalf of that organization, then quietly dropping them off;

All the events he and his partner, Chris, worked and/or participated in to support worthy causes; and

The quilts he and I created together, usually with tears streaming down our faces, to memorialize friends we'd lost. In other words, while some men were chasing a six-figure salary, or working themselves into an early grave, Steve knew that giving back to his community, and to the world, was much more important.

So, when he was finally in a position to purchase a house, Steve could have found a property in the North Dallas area he knew well. Instead, he bought a house in Far East Dallas, near Eastfield College - because it was close to me. My neurological disorders and resulting disability had progressed to the point that I could no longer drive, and Steve thought I "might need more help” with daily life. He was right, of course.

We continue to research other possible solutions. Steve served his country and is a proud Navy veteran. I find it appalling that we allow mortgage servicing companies to treat anyone, but especially our veterans, this way.

Organizer: Sami Swan Thompson Dallas, TX

Contact: served