What the money is for:

A few years ago, I made the decision to renounce my US citizenship. I'm hoping to get at least a little help with the cost of trying to undo my epic error. It is very expensive for attorneys fees and everything that goes along with the process. The inital estimate I received is $10,000, but it may cost more, as anyone who's been in or around the legal field knows.

The attorney I'm in hiring to help me with this uphill battle is Matthew Kaplan. I've put a total at approximately $11,000 to help cover possible extras like travel costs, and I will be using my own funds, as well. I also have this up on Spleis concurrently and will cancel both as soon as I reach my goal.

The background:

I have a long and storied past with anxiety, and it was my anxiety that led me to renounce my citizenship. I had to address this publicly due to a Facebook post someone made and will explain a bit more here (without going into too much detail about the reasons for my anxiety at the time).

For most of my life, I have struggled with anxiety and depression. My mental health has never been what one would call optimal. Being in a foreign country seemed to amplify every small anxiety I had—anxieties that likely could have been better managed in a different environment—into their own entities inside my head. Over time, they developed into vastly more massive and tremendously ominous impediments in my daily life than they should have been. Unfortunately, I was not mentally equipped to tackle them.

Just prior to my decision to renounce, I'd been "kicked out" of therapy because I needed long-term help, which is not something offered by the public system in Norway. We didn't have the finances available for a private psychologist, and so I was left floundering. At the time, I had extreme anxiety regarding my relationship and what I believed Trygve thought about me having dual citizenship. Unfortunately, my anxiety levels were so high that I was unable to give voice to those anxieties, and the fear I had was mentally crippling. Yes, there were factors within the marriage that caused my anxiety to get to the point it was, but I'm not blaming him for my inability to have a hard conversation. If I had talked to him about what was going through my head, I wouldn't find myself in the situation I am in now. I am fully capable of owning my mistakes and learning from them, and this was one of many I've collected over the years.

And, so, I'm asking for help. It's extremely difficult for me to ask for help for anything, but particularly for this. I have always tried to fix my problems or screw-ups myself when I can. I hate feeling like I'm putting anyone out, as it were. There are also feelings of shame involved in asking. However, I also know that this is something I will need at least a little assistance with if I'm going to be able to afford the costs in a timely manner and without essentially bankrupting myself. And I desperately want to be close to my family again.

Thank you!

I appreciate any and all donations to this, no matter how small. I also appreciate anyone sharing my GFM with others. So, if you're unable to donate, please share this. Every small amount helps me toward my goal of getting home again and will allow me to start the process sooner rather than later.