My name is Susan Martellaro. I am 61 years young. These past years have been some of the most challenging I could have ever imagined. Since losing my husband in 2019, my focus has been on caring for myself and my son with a disability, doing everything I could to keep us steady and hopeful. When my department was transferred overseas in 2025 and I was laid off, I relied on severance and unemployment benefits to get by, all while searching tirelessly for work. As those resources ran out, the uncertainty and pressure grew heavier, but I kept going because I had to—for my son and for myself.

When I was finally able to secure a contractor position earlier this year, I felt a glimmer of relief, only to face another setback when my spinal stenosis and severe neck arthritis made the physically demanding work impossible to sustain. Being let go so soon was a blow not just to my finances, but to my spirit. I have tried several different avenues to obtain resources to no avail.

I don’t quite have the right words to fully capture the weight of fear and shame I have been carrying, feeling as though asking for help meant admitting defeat, but I know that reaching out can sometimes lead to the most unexpected moments of grace and it’s reminded me that there are still people who choose compassion first.

Any help would mean you didn’t just help me with rent or the means to keep my car — you gave me the ability to breathe again, to sleep without the constant knot of worry in my chest, to believe that I can get through this gap until my work begins. It humbles me deeply that someone who did not have to step in, someone who could have easily turned away, chose instead to reach toward me with generosity. I will carry this act of kindness with me far beyond this hard season.

Thank you! From the bottom of my heart, thank you.