Hello, my name is Mary.

I never imagined I would be here, sharing my story so openly and asking for help. But after years of fighting to keep myself and my daughter safe, I find myself at a crossroads where I cannot do it alone anymore.

For over a decade, I survived domestic violence. When I finally found the courage to leave, I had nothing but my daughter and the will to protect her. We started over through a domestic violence shelter, Safe Harbor, and later a program, Connie Maxwell's Family Care Program, for single mothers. I have worked hard to heal and to build a better life, but the scars, emotional, financial, and physical, have followed us.

During my time in Connie Maxwell's Family Care Program, I was doing well. I had someone managing my life for me and all I had to do was show up and participate. I volunteered at different places around town, I secured a job as a work study with my college, won a scholarship, and the best part... I watched my daughter bloom and THRIVE.

Once I graduated their program and left, reality slapped me in the face. Now it was my turn to take the reigns of my life and maintain the inertia I built up. I was on my own... and still struggling through a divorce/custody battle against our abuser. I began to fall behind again. My car was constantly needing repair. I had repeated health issues that were debilitating at times. And during this time, I learned that my ex had begun a downward spiral of suicidal/homicidal ideations, made an attempt on his girlfriend's life, made a threat to the public, and had stalked/harassed me on my second day of work at a new job. I isolated myself, switched to an online school, had to quit my work study position, and began looking for work at a secure facility. I was granted a permanent restraining order. My childcare assistance was cut because I switched to online college, and I could not afford childcare anymore. Government assistance for childcare came with restrictions and facilities that accepted this assistance was severely limited, and resulted in a dead end for me. I tried private baby sitters; I went through FOUR in a week, while I worked in manufacturing briefly- and ultimately had to quit because those options were severely unreliable/unsafe. I began to struggle with my mental health as a result of my attempt to keep us safe.

Despite the hardships, I am still in school and am working toward my Bachelor’s degree in Geosciences. My dream is to work in nature conservation/resource management, a field where I can not only support my daughter but also contribute to protecting the earth for future generations. But finishing my education while raising a child alone and living with trauma has been overwhelming and very humbling.

After two final hearings eight months apart, my divorce finalized in May 2025, and I thank God that it's over, but I was left with the obligation to pay half of the Guardian ad litem's fees- which I feel I shouldn't have to pay... but here we are. My ex also quit paying child support a year ago, which has truly crippled us.

One of the hardest parts of this journey is that we have no support system. I do not have family or friends to lean on for help of any kind. They say it takes a village to raise a child, but I do not have that. That is why I have turned to the kindness of strangers on the internet, in the hope that there are people out there who care enough to help us through this difficult season.

My challenges are heavy:

I do not want to be rich. I do not want luxury. I simply want to provide my daughter with a safe, stable, and joyful childhood. She deserves the chance to join extracurricular activities, learn, grow, and create happy memories, not to be held back by financial insecurity or her mother’s constant fear and exhaustion.

What your support would mean:

Every contribution, no matter the size, makes a real difference in our lives. Even if you cannot give financially, simply sharing our story would mean the world.

I have fought hard to survive, but now I want to do more than just survive. I want to truly live, heal, and give my daughter the kind of life she deserves. With your help, I believe we can get there.

I also have a TT account where I have been trying to open up and share about some of my traumas as a means of purging the hurt, if you are interested in viewing that. I have some documentation of abuse uploaded there, with more to come eventually. It is very triggering to watch and upload these though, so it is taking some time. My TT handle is @marymary11.11 if you're interested in following along with my healing journey, and just for some random fun/information.

Thank you from the bottom of my heart,

Mary