Dear friends and community,

Last year, many of you generously supported me as I made a long-awaited move to Ithaca, New York to begin my PhD journey at Cornell University. With your help, I was able to relocate, get settled, and begin building a life around my studies, research, and calling. I was — and still am — deeply grateful.

What I didn’t foresee was the rapid decline in my mother’s health. As many of you know, she was recently diagnosed with Alzheimer’s-related dementia, and as her only living child and primary caregiver, I’ve had to make one of the most difficult decisions of my life: to take a leave of absence from my program and return to Los Angeles to care for her full-time.

This transition has been emotionally and financially overwhelming. I’ve put everything I own in storage in Ithaca, I’m breaking my lease and being penalized for it, I’ve already shipped my car across the country, and I’ve accumulated a mountain of debt just trying to manage the logistics of this sudden move. When I moved into my beloved apartment in Ithaca, I never imagined I’d be forced to leave it only a year later.

I don’t take asking for help lightly. But I need it. I’m reaching out again to ask for support as I navigate this next chapter — one filled with uncertainty, love, grief, and responsibility. Your contribution would help with:

-Lease termination and moving penalties

-Cross-country moving and storage expenses

-Paying down emergency credit card debt from the move

-Regaining financial stability while I restructure my life around caregiving

If you’re able to donate, share, or simply send a kind word, I thank you. I’m still holding onto my dreams — of returning to my program, but for now, I need help carrying the weight of this transition.

With love and gratitude,

Dana Brenklin