Support Holly: A Mother Rebuilding After Loss

Help Holly Rebuild: A Fresh Start After Trauma, Survival & Loss

Hi friends,

If you’re from Morristown, NJ, or Hingham, MA, there’s a good chance you know Holly Shawwaf—not just for her talent behind the chair, but for her heart. Holly is one of those rare people who always shows up for others. She’s comforted clients through loss, celebrated milestones, and lifted countless people up—even when she was silently falling apart herself.

Now, Holly needs us. And because she would never ask on her own, I’m asking for her.

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A Mother’s Strength, A Survivor’s Journey

At just 20, Holly fled an abusive marriage, traveling cross-country with her baby daughter and nothing else—no diploma, no driver’s license, no support system. But what she lacked in resources, she made up for in strength. She worked, studied, and built a life from scratch in New Jersey and Massachusetts.

When her daughter was diagnosed with ADHD and dyslexia, Holly fought tirelessly—relocating five times to find the right school. Her daughter is now graduating college as a Top 20 Senior, thanks to her mother’s unstoppable advocacy.

Behind the scenes, though, Holly was battling chronic pain from a spinal condition that led to surgery in 2017—and decades of trauma she never had the chance to process.

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The Breaking Point

In recent years, everything came crashing down:

• A head-on car accident in 2023 worsened her physical condition

• She finally escaped a six-year abusive relationship—but endured nearly two years of retaliation and harassment from people tied to her ex, including her landlord and maintenance worker

• She suffered multiple assaults, including a drugging and sexual assault in late 2023 and another in February 2025, which she reported

• She lost her housing and became homeless, while battling severe nerve damage, PTSD, and crushing isolation

• Her career as a hairstylist ended—her body simply couldn’t take it anymore

• And her beloved dog, Bonnie, needed emergency surgery costing over $1,000

Despite it all, Holly kept showing up for others until she couldn’t anymore. Now she’s finally getting trauma care, including PTSD treatment at McLean Hospital—but she has no home, no income, and no way to stabilize without help.

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A Daughter’s Perspective

“My mom has been my rock my entire life. As a low-income single mom, she always fought for me—especially when I was struggling in school. I had undiagnosed dyslexia and a 1.3 GPA. My mom saved up for a neuropsych evaluation with help from a friend and brought it to the school district. Because of her, I finally got the support I needed. And because of her, I’m graduating college this year.

She always put me first—even when it meant taking on student loans, moving towns over and over, and ignoring her own health. Now she’s homeless, in pain, and exhausted. It is an extremely stressful time to witness what my mom is going through and have no means to help her, as I am having to finish my internship this summer to officially wrap up my college degree.

She stayed in an unsafe situation way too long because she didn’t want us to be homeless again, like we were 10 years ago after escaping another abusive relationship. She thought she had a safe place to go this time, but it fell through.

We are extremely grateful for anything given.”

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What We’re Raising: $140,000 to Help Holly Rebuild

This fundraiser will help Holly cover:

• $40,000 in survival credit card debt

• $100,000 in critical repairs for a property she owns—currently unlivable due to vandalism, a collapsed roof, and no working electricity

• Emergency expenses, including Bonnie’s vet bill and basic living costs

• Relocation support—just moving into a 2-bedroom apartment requires ~$9,500 upfront

• Medical care and mental health treatment, including trauma therapy at McLean

• Career retraining or school tuition so she can rebuild a sustainable future

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Why She Deserves a Second Chance

Holly has spent her life putting others first—her daughter, her clients, her friends, even strangers. She’s never asked for anything in return. She worked through pain, heartbreak, and abuse just to make others feel whole.

Now, after surviving so much, she’s ready to focus on herself for the first time—and she needs a community to lift her the way she’s lifted others.

If you can donate, thank you. Even $5 helps. If you can’t, please share her story. Let’s surround Holly with the love and support she has always given others. Let’s show her that she’s not alone.