Help Us Keep Our Home and Our Hope

We never imagined we’d be here, writing this, asking for help, but life has taken some unexpected turns that have left our little family struggling in ways we didn’t anticipate.

I’ve spent years working toward my dream of becoming an occupational therapist, pouring everything, time, energy, and every dollar we had, into college. To complete my degree, I’ve been doing a full-time internship for the past six months. It’s unpaid, and while it’s been an incredibly rewarding experience, it has left us financially devastated. Our savings are gone, and every month we face the terrifying question: how will we pay our rent?

We’re doing everything we can to stay afloat. We can’t afford daycare for our baby, we’ve fallen behind on our car payments, and we’re even facing the heartbreaking possibility of having to give up our dog, who’s a beloved part of our family. We’ve maxed out credit cards that we once proudly paid off, just to keep food on the table and a roof over our heads.

What hurts the most is that after all this hard work, I can’t even afford to take my national board exam to officially become an occupational therapist. I’ll be the only one at graduation not moving forward into the profession I’ve worked so hard for, simply because of money. I can’t even afford to go to my own graduation, and that’s a sadness I can’t fully put into words.

We’re also managing ongoing medical bills due to health issues that have arisen in the past year. And while asking for help makes us feel vulnerable, we’re out of options. We’ve tried everything. We’ve exhausted every resource, applied for every bit of assistance we could find, but it’s just not enough.

We are asking for help to get through the next few months, specifically, to get ahead on rent so that we can use whatever else we can scrape together to catch up on bills, pay for essential care for our baby, and hopefully save our home.

We’re not looking for charity, we’re just trying to survive and hold on to a sense of stability for our baby, who is going through a lot and needs us to be strong. We need a roof over his head to help him get better. And for that to happen, Mami and Daddy need to get better too.

If you’re able to give anything, even a few dollars, it would mean more than you know. If you’re not in a position to give, sharing this would be a huge help as well. Thank you for reading, thank you for caring, and thank you for helping us hold on to hope.

With love and gratitude,

Manny, Melissa, Neo, & Cannoli