My name is Sam. This is my life partner Brianna, we have been together since 2012. We are struggling in more ways than one. Let me tell you my story and then you can read about hers.

I used to work as an IT Engineer for over 10 years at a company in McLean VA with a basic pay of $25/Hr. I had two spinal surgeries in 2017 and again in 2019. But I was able to push along and try to do my work as best as I could. In December of 2023 the office furloughed and closed down their business. From December to June of 2023 I was without work and tried to find something but I was unable to find any jobs, I applied for non IT jobs, anything I could try to get my hands on and with the back issues I had I was a bit limited in what I could do physically. I went on unemployment until I found a job in July. So I have been working remote support helpdesk for $25/hr since then. I am still trying to find something that can support us more because currently my partner has stage 3 ovarian cancer and she is not working and fighting for her life.

Brianna used to work as a massage therapist but she ended her work in 2023 because she started to become sick, we didn’t know it was cancer as after going to doctors and checkups we were told that she needed to lose weight and watch her diet. We don’t eat junk food and she used to run 3-5 miles every week. But she began to not feel good and her condition got much worse. November of 2024 Brianna started to have abdominal pains and she was screaming and we didn’t know what was going on. We went to the ER only to find out she had an ovary explode inside her and began to have internal bleeding. If we didn’t rush to the ER quick enough or if we waited she would have died.

it was discovered she had Stage 3 ovarian Cancer. In December 2024 she was admitted for major surgery at the Fairfax Hospital in Fairfax Virginia. The main cancer oncologist Dr. Bitcher performed a FULL hysterectomy they removed the other ovary they removed part of her stomach lining and they discovered 18 tumors…

You can see from the photos how badly she’s becoming and the amount of medication she is on is very scary. It has changed her physically and mentally.

she has gone through 3 brutal chemo sessions and there are still 4 more to go.

We don’t have any disability benefits and it has been denied and delayed so we are not sure if we will even receive any in future.

we only have one car between us. It’s still being paid for, it’s a 2022 VW Taos with $17,000 still left to pay. I am $50,000+ in debt from medical bills and just putting all our expenses and bills on credit card.

i have less than $4000 in my checking account and i said our rent is $1800 so its getting tighter and tighter. I don’t want us to lose our apartment and become homeless. I’m scared, we both are.

I don’t know what else to say but we are drowning in debt due to the fact she is not able to work and my job doesn’t pay much to support us both. Our rent is $1800 a month. I would move somewhere cheaper and we will once we are able to. She is not in a condition to move or do anything right now. She can barely walk a few feet without it being a struggle. Her depression has gotten so bad that she constantly talks about suicide and ways to do it. She feels she’s a burden on me and that I would be better off without her.

The funds we are asking is to basically wipe off any current debt and would allow us to get our heads above water while I seek better employment.

I am selling all my personal belongings and collections of things I’ve had over the years but they are not high end items. It’s things that may bring $20 here or $40 there and cover a meal or a dinner.

I feel very embarrassed and humiliated that I have to even to do this for us.

She doesn’t have any family. She doesn’t know who her father was. Her mother passed away from cancer when she was 9, and she feels she’s reliving what her mother went through. I don’t have anyone I can lean on for any financial support, so we’re sort of alone in this. 

What this money will do is pay off all credit card debts and medical debts that we currently have and get us back somehow.

I don’t know what else to say or do. I am willing to share all our finances with you to show you how bad things are. We are transparent and have nothing to hide.

The real sad part.. we don’t have kids. And now it’s destroyed that plan for us. I regret that we never had children when we had the opportunity. Now I look at people who have children and think how I ruined our lives because we can’t have any now. Adopting is not an option I want my own children. But I won’t abandon her for a selfish need. She is my life. She is my joy. I wouldn’t be where I am without her.

Please help.

We are thankful to the community and those who are willing to do so.

I want her to know people still care and that there are still people out there willing to do good things still.

Sam & Brianna

this used to be us.