My name is Cierra, and I’m creating this fundraiser for my mom, Amanda.

Sharing this is incredibly difficult, but people need to understand why this fight matters so much to our family.

Growing up, my siblings and I lived in fear of our father, Carlos. I have personally witnessed things no child should ever have to see. I have seen him hold a gun to my mom’s head. I have seen my siblings and I suffer black eyes and broken jaws. I have seen him beat my mom so badly that we thought we were going to lose her.

About a year ago in Laughlin, we had to say what felt like goodbye to my mom because he had beaten her so severely that we truly didn’t know if she would survive.

He has broken down doors to get to us. As a child, I remember hiding and trying to protect myself and my siblings while he broke down the door. I remember him hurting our dog when I was only 6–9 years old and then being forced to clean up the blood afterward. He’s held a knife up to 8 year old me. He whipped a 3 year old with a cord. Those are memories that never leave you. These are just some of the stories…

The abuse wasn’t only physical. My father has financially abused our family for years. He does not pay child support and has left my mom to carry the full responsibility of raising the kids on her own while he continues to create chaos and fear in our lives.

He drinks heavily, and has told me and several of my siblings to kill ourselves. I even have recordings of him saying he doesn’t want the kids, yet he is now trying to take them away from the one parent who has always protected them.

Despite everything we endured, my mom has always been our safe place. She worked tirelessly to rebuild our lives and give the kids a stable, loving home after everything we survived.

Now she is being forced into a legal battle she never wanted, simply to keep her children safe.

As the oldest child, watching my mom go through this is heartbreaking. She has spent her life protecting us, and now we are trying to do everything we can to help protect her.

The legal system is expensive, and without a lawyer my mom does not stand a fair chance in court. We are asking for help raising money for legal fees so she can fight for the safety and stability of her children.

Every donation will go toward attorney and court costs. If you cannot donate, sharing this fundraiser would mean everything to us.

Even the smallest donation could help give these kids the chance to grow up safe.