<div>Hello! My name is Lexie and I’m new to the Portland area! I’m an artist who draws on the computer with a drawing tablet and I’m currently looking into community college for animation and fine arts. 
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<div>My partner and I have been together for 7 years and lived with each other for about 3! We recently had to move 5 hours out to this area pretty quickly, leaving most of our things behind aside from the absolute essentials. We didn’t have a lot of time or money and unfortunately we had to leave due to our previous living situation being a very toxic environment with a family member who was struggling with alcoholism and constantly relapsing and putting us at risk. 
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<div>I had to grow up in an unstable environment where I was constantly being treated as the parent or therapist for my family member and that led to it taking an extreme toll on my mental health. Aside from that where I lived was constantly put at risk due to the actions of my family member. Not only did we have to move from my home after my family member sold our home and gave most of the money to a love scam, but every decision after would involve us moving around until we eventually had to live in a hoarder home for a good 4 years. We eventually moved into a much better environment, an apartment, but I was constantly put at risk and paying for bills for my family member while said family member relapsed on alcohol and lost their job multiple times which put us at risk. 
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<div>It got to the point where I just couldn’t take being around it anymore and neither could my partner. It was ultimately the best decision for both parties and I’m not naming who the family member is only due to the fact that I still love and care for them so much and in the end I simply want them to heal and live happily. I know some people might not understand that, even my partner doesn’t understand it himself. All I can say is I was raised to feel nothing but empathy towards others and I try to see the best in people even if they make bad decisions and have hurt me more than once. I know it’s not healthy, and I’m trying to learn how to set boundaries and realize when it’s time to stop offering my hand out to someone who keeps rejecting it, or in metaphorical terms, biting it. 
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<div>Because we moved with very little funds and knowledge we’ve been struggling to find jobs and make ends meet. We moved during December when jobs were already set in place for most seasonal positions and not many places were looking for more employees. 
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<div>We finally managed to find jobs after all that time but mine has barely given me much hours that could be considered a livable wage, so I’m currently looking for a replacement or second job. 
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<div>I wish I could say that that’s where our troubles ended but it just wasn’t. My family member moved to a town an hour away from us so they could be closer to me and live in a recovery home, but just like us they haven’t had it easy and was struggling a lot with mental health. 
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<div>This past week I was getting really worried because I had been getting messages that were erratic and almost manic in nature from my family member. I had never experienced her acting in such a way before aside from a few times that were similar but it wasn’t like this. They were incredibly stressed, malnourished, and anxious from their living situation having been put at risk and put themselves through a lot of emotional turmoil. 
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<div>Just this Thursday night on the 29th of January, 2026 my family member tried to drive down to visit me and got lost in the process by taking the wrong exit. They were already freaking out from not being able to stay the night at our home because we simply didn’t have the means to feed or house another person right now and admittedly I was terrified my family member was having a medical emergency or just needed help. 
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<div>Against my better judgement I let my fear convince me to go drive down and either try to have them follow me or convince them to go to the hospital. When I arrived they rambled on about nonsense and I was constantly having to repeat myself to them as we sat there on the side of a highway in the middle of the night. I was cold. I was tired and I just wanted to go home. Finally I just told them to follow my car so that they didn’t have trouble seeing and I’d lead them to a hospital.
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<div>I got in my car and got on the highway after checking for cars and making sure my family member would follow, but after noticing they weren’t following I slowed down, turned on my hazards and moved to the middle lane where a turn lane was to try and honk at them to follow. Not the best decision on my part. I was under a lot of anxiety and wasn’t quite thinking straight, but even now I wish I pulled over to the right side rather than pull into a turn lane in the middle of a highway.
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<div>Almost instantly after I saw the lights shining in my rear window, I was rear ended by a car going 55 miles an hour on the highway. 
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<div>It was easily one of the most terrifying moments of my life. I managed to pull to the side and get out of the car to call 911, but I was extremely shaken and full of adrenaline. I lost my glasses and couldn’t see the other car. I didn’t know if the other driver was hurt or not and I was panicking as my family member frantically tried to make sure I wasn’t hurt. 
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<div>After some time people came to help, police and paramedics arrived and the other driver was okay. I was extremely relieved no one got hurt, but admittedly I still wasn’t okay. Who would be in that situation? 
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<div>Thankfully all I had was a mild concussion and whiplash, some soreness that I felt the morning after but nothing I couldn’t live through. I was still devastated though. 
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<div>I kept thinking what I could have done to prevent what happened, how if I had been hit from any other angle that I would’ve been seriously injured or possibly even died, and of course the fact that now I my car was completely totaled and I had no way to get to my current work. 
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<div>My family member wasn’t in the car when it happened and I’m grateful, after police got our statements they allowed me to take them and myself to the hospital where they stayed for a few days and I was checked in case I had injuries I couldn’t tell were there due to adrenaline, but I couldn’t help but feel crushed after everything. 
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<div>My partner was at home at the time, and when he got to the hospital was so worried for me. We held each other and cried for a long time after everything. We were both just so relieved I was alive at all. 
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<div>I don’t mean to say all this to try and get sympathy, what happened, happened. I’m still trying to move forward by using the bus and transit to get around and find a possible job that might be closer to home, but I’d be lying if I said we aren’t nervous for the future. 
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<div>Currently we’re about $2,150 behind on rent. We pay $900 monthly and since December have been trying our best to make ends meet as much as we can. My landlord has been so generous towards us by giving us a break on payments, but we’re still very behind and now we’ve been set back immensely from losing our car. 
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<div>I really don’t like having to ask others for help when it comes to money especially since I’ve been helped in the past just to get the chance to move out from my toxic household. I’ve never felt so grateful for the community I have and the people who have helped me and all I’ve ever wanted was to pay it back or forward to others as I know it’s what they would’ve wanted. 
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<div>So please, please don’t feel bad if you can’t donate to us, I know we’ll get through this and I’ll find a way to move forward one step at a time. If you’d like to help support us feel free to but don’t donate if it’ll put yourself at risk. Sharing around helps too! 
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<div>The last thing I want is for people to go through financial hardship, especially not like the kind I’m currently facing. 
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<div>Thank you so much for reading and please stay safe out there. Make sure to remind those who care about you how thankful you are that they’re here. &lt;3
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Anonymous

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