Let me tell you about my amazing car. She is a 2012 Toyota RAV4. She has 165,000 miles on her. She was graciously gifted to me, after my husband passed away, by my incredible son-in-love. I live in Georgia now (near my daughter's family) but make two trips a year back to the area I grew up in (Northern New York State) to spend time with my loved ones there (especially my adorable grandchildren). She (my car) also takes me back and forth for very needed treatment appointments and therapies that I need to survive.

I keep up with the maintenance on my car, changing the oil and fluids regularly. From what I know about the amazing Toyota brand, this ole gal has another 100,000 miles left in her! And believe me, my next vehicle will be another Toyota, for sure. I am grateful and humbled by this generous gift of love and freedom.

I am 62 years old, and I care for a disabled veteran in my home. She is an incredible, brave young lady with so much to give the world once her health is restored. Currently, we are working on getting her the life-saving, life-affirming care she deserves. With that in mind, the privilege of caring for her is 24/7. We have help coming in 20 hours per week, so I have time for my medical appointments, etc. The plan was to be reimbursed by the VA for her care, but the system is slow and sometimes blind. We were recently denied assistance. I am confident that we will win an appeal, but in the meantime, I have been barely surviving on the $1850/month I am grateful to receive for survivor's benefits. At this point, I receive $250/month for SNAP, and I have a subsidy for my health insurance (and then pay $230/month on top of that to cover my expenses). We all know that these two vital subsidies may be going away soon. I am hoping to get as much taken care of before the end of the year, in case I lose my coverage.

So, when I was about to head to a medical test, my sweet little car said, "I don't think so!" and she didn't start up! I called the dealership where we have always taken her, and it is $185 just to run the diagnostic. I believe it's the starter, so that will definitely be several hundred more.

I am currently looking for a part-time job that can accommodate my physical restrictions and the hours I have to be away. Let's just say that is another challenge! And now, with my car not running, I have no way to even get to a job if I had one!

I am not one to ask for help like this. I am more likely to send a donation or ask for donations for other people. But today, I humbly ask for a little help so I can continue helping. I promise, I will pay this gift forward 1000 fold!