Why we’re asking for help

After a year of grief, loss, and unexpected emergencies — including the loss of Derek’s mom to cancer, over $10,000 in emergency vet care for our cat Maisie, and multiple major home appliance failures — we’re trying to recover from the financial impact. We’re asking for help reducing the debt created during this incredibly difficult time so we can focus on healing and moving forward.

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First, we want to acknowledge how fortunate we are to have received support from close friends and family along the way. That support is one of the reasons we’ve made it this far.

In October 2024, Derek’s mom was diagnosed with terminal cancer. It was shocking, heartbreaking, and changed everything overnight.

Then in March 2025, our eldest fur daughter, Maisie, suddenly became very ill.

Maisie wasn’t just a pet to us — she was family. Derek got her when she was a tiny kitten, and she had been by his side through so many chapters of life. After Derek’s dad passed away in 2011, Maisie became an even deeper connection to that part of his life.

She was funny, opinionated, affectionate when she wanted to be, and the kind of cat who always seemed to know when someone needed comfort.

When she got sick, we pursued emergency veterinary care and followed every recommendation because the vets believed there was still hope she could recover. Unfortunately, she passed away just a few days later.

In the process, we incurred over $10,000 in veterinary debt. We knew it was a lot, but with Derek’s mom already battling cancer, we couldn’t bring ourselves to give up on Maisie without trying everything we could.

Her loss hit us incredibly hard. Grief has a way of changing you, and losing her left a hole in our home and our hearts that we’re still learning to live with.

While we were still processing that loss, the next wave of problems began.

In April, our dryer stopped working.

In May, our refrigerator died.

By the end of June, our HVAC system failed.

Each time meant another repair or replacement — and more debt added to the pile.

During all of this, Derek was also making trips to Oklahoma to spend time with his mom.

Carren was strong, warm, and full of personality. Even while facing cancer, she focused on the people she loved and the time she had with them. Those trips meant the world to Derek, and we’re grateful he was able to spend that time with her.

In September 2025, we lost her.

Even with terminal cancer, we all hoped for more time. Derek is now navigating a world without either parent, and we’re learning to carry that loss together.

After everything that had already happened that year, it felt like the hits just kept coming.

Even though we both work full-time, we’ve mostly only been able to make minimum payments on the credit cards we relied on during these emergencies. Many of those were zero-interest promotional cards that are now beginning to expire.

We’ve sought professional financial advice and are actively working on a plan. Our goal is to reduce the balances enough to pursue options like consolidation and finally start making real progress instead of just keeping our heads above water.

Asking for help isn’t easy for us. We know many people are struggling right now, and we truly understand that not everyone is in a position to give.

But after a year of grief, loss, and unexpected expenses, we could really use a little breathing room.

Any support will help us chip away at the debt created during this incredibly difficult year and allow us to focus on healing and moving forward.

If you’ve read this far, thank you. Even small contributions or sharing this page means more to us than we can express.