I am one person trying to hold up a family of three — my brother with two broken ankles, my mom with failing health, and myself working full time — and I am absolutely exhausted. The world is a dumpster fire, and my personal life is doing somersaults straight into that dumpster.

My brother spent his birthday lunch doing an Olympic dive into chaos and broke both ankles — one needed surgery, the other just decided to be stubborn. Then his blood pressure went on a thrill ride, his oxygen is fussy, and his fistula may or may not have developed an attitude (read: a clot). Meanwhile, my house is a shithole that’s barely habitable for anything except maybe a raccoon with standards. I’ve slept about five hours all week and feel like a failed coffee experiment.

Last night, the night nurses made my mom and me feel like criminals because my brother had a 1 a.m. meltdown and called us to rush down. Yes, we came. No, apparently showing up for family is not considered normal anymore. Now I’m tiptoeing around his hospital room like I’m auditioning to be a haunted house prop. Also, why is using a hospital bathroom apparently a whole saga every time?

I’m over doomscrolling, over waiting for tiny mercies, and I just want three boring things:

* A shower that works

* A place that isn’t actively trying to rot

* And for my brother to stop auditioning for medical drama seasons

Right now, our furniture is broken, our home is crawling with roaches and bad wiring, and it feels like the walls are closing in. My mom has arthritis, a palsy, and two bad knees. She needs safe seating and a bed that won’t make her pain worse. My brother needs a space that’s wheelchair and disability friendly for his long recovery. And I need help hauling out our busted furniture and replacing it with beds and a couch that aren’t health hazards.

**What your donations will help with:**

* Paying for the removal of our broken furniture

* Buying safe beds for my mom and brother

* Getting a usable couch and love seat

* Helping us move toward a disability-friendly home where we can all breathe a little easier

It isn’t very comfortable to admit all of this, but this is where we are. Every dollar will help us take one step away from this chaos and closer to stability. If you can’t donate, please share — every share matters.

Thank you for reading, and thank you for giving us hope in the middle of all this mess.