Widowed Mother of Two Will Be Homeless in 30 Days

Friends, I rarely put my neck or name on the line for anyone. But a dear, dear friend of mine is facing the unimaginable. I hope you can appreciate that I have hidden their faces in the images; it is not my place to violate her or her children's privacy while trying to lend a hand. I give my word that I will provide a full account of how the funds are put to work once they're raised. I am a licensed attorney in California, and I stake my license on it. Say what you will about attorneys—if you must—know that none of us would give up our livelihood, profession, and reputation for a few thousand dollars. My State Bar number is 327984 and my attorney profile can be found on the State Bar's website at https://apps.calbar.ca.gov/attorney/Licensee/Detail/327984

Within the last year, her loving and devoted husband died suddenly of a heart attack at the terribly young age of 43, leaving her to raise two adolescent girls on her own. Because he had no will, she was made to find an attorney to initiate probate. In the course of doing so, she learned that their family farm was under a mortgage in his name only, and because it was a commercial loan she has no right to continue paying the note—they will force foreclosure because the farm cannot persist in his absence. She lives in a part of the country that gets quite cold in winter and foreclosure is scheduled for October.

She has taken a job as a waitress, making less than $3/hour, so she can support her daughters. She has been denied for every loan she has applied for in her efforts to keep her family from being homeless. She has lived 13 years of marriage as a homemaker and mom while her incredible husband worked tirelessly to provide for their family. Her reward in his death is poverty and homelessness.

She did have a bittersweet holdout of hope in that she was in the course of a malpractice lawsuit against a hospital and doctors for unilaterally and unnecessarily performing a hysterectomy without consent while she was receiving surgery for another unrelated condition. Her ability to reproduce was stolen from her without her permission, she was forced into menopause in her mid 30s, but the glimmer of hope she could hold onto after losing her husband and facing down the loss of her home is that she would soon get a reasonable amount of compensation to maybe bridge the gap and take care of her daughters until she could figure out her next move.

Today the judge granted the doctors' and hospital's motion to dismiss her case.

She has two daughters who miss their daddy dearly, and she shows up for them each and every day, when she can barely stand to breathe herself. This fundraiser is made with the hope that, with $25,000, they can build a modest home on a little piece of land she owns and she doesn't have to worry where her and her girls will live come Christmas.

If you're wondering about the extra body in the photo, it is his daughter from a previous relationship that they have raised together. She is now married and just had a child of her own.

If you are a friend of mine and are receiving this link from me, I ask that you donate the amount of that beer or coffee you'd buy me if we were in the same town; if you're receiving this from a friend of mine who has forwarded it to you, I sincerely ask you extend to me the trust you have in your friend.

If you've ever lost a parent, you know how alone it can make you feel. If you've ever lost a spouse, you know how lost it can make you feel. I sincerely implore the kindness in your heart to help a widowed mother and two young daughters not feel so lost or alone.