Hello, I'm Blake. I lost my job in April 2025, right after finishing my paternity leave. My spouse lost their job in 2023. With the current conditions of the job market, neither of us have been able to find software engineering replacement jobs and are working on changing our entire careers. This takes time.

Despite planning and preparing with an emergency fund, we are now out of money for even paying basic bills and food. We've had medical bills pop up, and with the government shutdown, our infant benefits to cover baby food and formula are in danger.

I've sold my childhood game collection, my Pokémon and Yu-Gi-Oh card collections, and other collectibles just to make it through the past month.

I'm trying to raise money just to be able to make it through the end of the year and be able to provide for my child.