Hello everyone,

I honestly never thought I’d be writing something like this. We’ve always managed to handle what life throws at us, even when it’s hard. But right now, we’re in a spot we just can’t dig ourselves out of alone.

On May 21st, I had to have an emergency C spine fusion. The pain was unbearable, and surgery couldn’t wait. Since then, I’ve been recovering at home, but it’s been tough—not just physically, but in every way.

My husband had to take over a week off work to care for me and our kids (two full-time and our bonus daughter when she’s with us). We don’t have reliable childcare—our “village” is really just a handful of people, and they’re already doing everything they can. We’re grateful, but we’re still struggling to make things work.

To make matters worse, right before my surgery, our car’s engine gave out—again. The dealership who "fixed" it the first time admitted it was their fault causing the engine to flood due to a faulty part that they changed during the first round in the shop. It will cost us nothing for them to fix it, but they've had it for over a month. They’re not offering us a rental because they’re completely out. Our engine is on order with no ETA, and they’re blaming everything from shipping delays to import taxes. The car’s just sitting at the shop. Meanwhile, we’re still paying on the car note for a vehicle we can’t even use. My husband has been catching borrowed rides to and from work, but that help is starting to wear thin, and people are getting understandably frustrated. We’re trying so hard to keep everything together—I work from home, and my check is barely covering rent, the car note, and basics. We’ve been scraping by, but we’re hitting a wall.

We just need help covering a few things that we can’t stretch any further:

$300 for car insurance

$75 for my follow-up surgeon co-pay

$45 for phone minutes (we can’t lose contact while I’m still recovering)

$160 for one week of groceries for our family of four (sometimes five)

That adds up to $580, and I’m asking for $600 to cover the platform fees.

I know it’s a lot to ask, and I would never be doing this if we weren’t truly out of options. If you can help, even a little, we will make sure every penny goes exactly where it’s needed. And I mean this from the bottom of my heart: if you donate, I will pay you back your share when we’re back on our feet. I don’t want a handout—I just need a hand up.

Thank you for reading this, and thank you for any support, even if it’s just sharing this with someone who might be able to help.

With gratitude,

Kim Strickland Girlinghouse