My daughter and I always dreamed of a home to call our own. In 2019, we got our wish, and moved in during the summer. The house is a lovely, cozy split-level, with a lot of open space so we can be silly and sing or make jokes across the house to one another. The windows are a bit small, but still let in beautiful sunlight, especially in the mornings where we can see all of the green of the clover yard and the tall, leafy trees. The back yard is a particularly gorgeous view, overlooking a wooded area and leading to a creek, with a lot of wildlife coming through to seek a resting spot from spring to autumn.

When we first got into the house, I was still married. But since then, much has changed. I've uncovered a lot of hidden financial abuse, and both myself and my daughter have suffered a lot of medical neglect and mental and emotional abuse. I'm now separated and working toward legal proceedings after the abuse escalated. But before the incident, the ex accidentally caused water damage in the home. As we learned afterward, the house was flipped, and not very thoroughly. One of the water lines had a small tube that ran to where the previous owners kept the fridge, and it had not been clamped or cauterized properly. The valve for the uncapped tubing was bumped during a routine water filter change (for a reverse osmosis system under the kitchen sink) and water flooded the house.

My daughter and I lost so much. Especially my daughter. The basement area below the kitchen and dining rooms was her play and home school education room. She lost almost all of her toys, her homeschooling desk, her wood bookshelves...almost everything, including laundry of hers my ex-husband had left in the basement with hopes we would not find it.

Insurance has, gratefully, handled demolition, but we are now looking to begin the work to rebuild. Insurance has issued a check to cover the majority, minus our deductible. Work cannot begin until the deductible is met, which is $5500, and we have to be out of this temporary shelter home by May.

I am asking for your help reaching this deductible, to help bring my daughter back to her dream home, the home she calls her safe space.

Please know every single dollar, even just $1, does make a monumental difference. It reminds us people see us, people care, and community is here to help. Every donation is a very warm hug for us, when we've felt cold for so long.

From our family to yours, thank you.