Hi everyone- I am setting this fund up for my soul sister Sam, who has been a very close person in my life since 2012. I would appreciate it greatly for you to read about her situation, and a little bit of her story.

On September 29th, 2025, Sam’s ex (whom she is still living with) decided to blindside her with an eviction notice, despite being completely aware of her situation. Regardless of this ex being aware of her increasing barriers due to her disabilities, Maine winter is right around the corner. I live right next to the city of Bangor, where a lot of unhoused people die each winter because of our severe conditions and lack of resources.

There are currently no other options for Sam to have safe and stable housing. This is a long-term plan and goal, however we are working on a VERY TIGHT schedule to find a temporary solution as soon as possible. Sam’s care team believes that she will NOT survive past winter if she is out on the streets. There are multiple barriers as to why Sam cannot safely stay in a shelter, one of them being a service dog in training being brought into her life. Unfortunately, regardless of ADA rules, a lot of shelters around us push back on animals, service or not. (Information taken from my spouse who is a case manager who helps those facing homelessness, some of whom have service animals).

I would like to tell you a bit of Sam’s life story, and why I am here setting this fund up for us; yes, us. While the funds are ENTIRELY for Sam and her survival, this will also bring me some peace of mind. Knowing that this fund exists and will more than likely be lovingly donated to, brings me calmness knowing that my homie will have at least SOMETHING to go off of, even if it turns out to be not much. While I cannot do anything else, the least I can do is reach out to those who support me, who more than likely have seen my posts with/about Sam, who can help in some way or another.

Now let me tell you a bit of her story, and why her situation is very dire.

Sam has faced homelessness during many points in her life. Even when in somewhat stable housing, she faced many barriers and situations of abuse. Her housing instability started at the age of two.

Sam was born in Oklahoma, and then shortly moved to Virginia with her grandmother (legal guardian), where she then moved five more times within the state. While in Virginia, Sam often dealt with chronic hunger, sometimes resorting to eating animal food.

Sam came to my home state of Maine when her grandmother remarried; she was 11. Growing up with her and often visiting her house, it definitely was not the best… The condition of her house was very unsafe; rotting floors, mold in the walls and ceilings, leaky roofs, and asbestos in the siding. I would still go over and hang out with her, so I have a pretty accurate idea of what it would have been like to live there.

When Sam was 15, she was kicked out of her house at the time to go and live with her mother. Her mother drove a semi truck, and Sam was moving all around the country with her and her (mom’s) boyfriend. There were a lot of unsafe situations that would happen to her during this time on the road.

All within the age of 16, Sam moved to Florida twice from the road, and then moved to Texas.

At age 17, Sam moved into live with her dad when the domestic violence at her current place got to be too much…

Sam then got kicked out when she turned 18, and went to Job Corps to be a CNA, where at age 19 (only 5 months into the program) she completed it with full marks.

After Job corps, Sam moved back in with her mother. She moved in to look after her mother through her battle with severe cervical cancer, all while going through horrific abuse. Sam and her mother were later forced to leave, but had no stable housing.

One of the parts that I never want to let my homie go through again is couch surfing. After the incidents above, Sam spent a long time couch surfing - a good few months. Sam also had to live in a big aluminum shed, owned by a nice family of strangers, during the midst of Oklahoma summer after her father left her stranded over an hour away from home.

After all of this… Sam made it back home to her mother and was living in a hotel with her. They soon got an apartment, but Sam’s mother succumbed to her cancer less than a month after. Sam was left to figure out how to afford the apartment, all amidst grieving her mother whom she FINALLY was able to see again… When things were finally looking okay in Sam’s life, everything fell apart again; she lost one of the most vital pieces to her that day. Mind you, Sam is still 19 during all of this…

Sam was shortly evicted after her mother's death and having no way to pay for the housing that they finally had secured.

For a bit after, Sam couch surfed again, staying with a friend or two. This is when Sam’s disabilities and medical issues started arising more, and began dictating her life. Sam was kicked out of another place.

All throughout these years since being on the road up till her move back to Maine, Sam was subjected to domestic violence from her mom's ex and his family, sexual abuse (not to her, to her mother, though she's experienced her own as well) and emotional abuse. Sam would be physically hit/punched/ect by her mother’s boyfriend. Said boyfriend also got her mother, who was 8 years sober, hooked on meth again, so Sam was exposed to this as well. She often saw her mother go in and out of withdrawals, with one of them ending in a situation where her mother tried to kill Sam and the cops were called.

After her mother's death, Sam moved back to Maine. She was finally what I considered “home”, because we grew up together here. Unfortunately, this is another turning point in Sam’s life to where her disabilities and conditions surface and/or worsen for her.

Sam has been, and is being treated for the following:

Joint pain, segmental dysfunction in multiple parts of her neck and spine, and hypermobility issues.

Nausea and other related GI issues.

Severe muscle and nerve pain (current working diagnosis is Fibromyalgia, among other diagnoses).

Syncope, muscle weakness/fatigue, and collapse.

Sam has also struggled with and has been deeply affected by dental issues, caused by a vomiting/GI disorder. While she is now awaiting dentures, having 23 total teeth removed, she is still dealing with pain associated, mostly in her jaw. Along with her GI issues, she lost a significant amount of weight in a very short period. Due to this, her organs were showing signs of shutdown at the time.

Sam also has chronic pain widespread, including nerve pain, in which she is currently treating her hips with bilateral TPI (trigger point injections). She is also on a myriad of medications to help as well.

One of the main reasons why Sam needs some sort of stable housing, even if this includes staying in a cheap hotel, is because she uses ride sharing through insurance to get to her appointments. The ride sharing system works as such; You set up an appointment time, they will come pick you up at an address (if they have a driver available), and they will potentially pick others up who also have appointments. While this can cause arrival time issues, as it has in the past, this is currently her only transportation option to appointments. Because of this, again I would like to reiterate, she needs a place to be at.

I mentioned earlier that there are a lot of reasons as to why Sam cannot safely stay at a shelter. One of these reasons is because the ride sharing system can be inconsistent with drop-off times. The shelters around here have a cut off time, in which after no one else can enter for the night. With all of the appointments she has, this is a major concern.

Sam has… done more for me in my life than I can describe. Mostly all of it was not material. With us, it’s never needed to be that way. We have never needed, nor asked more from each other in that regard. She has kept me in her thoughts in some of my darkest times. She has found ways to me in situations where all I wanted, and thought that I needed, was to be alone. Hell, when I was an active self-harmer she would not only be my accountability buddy, but sit there with me and re-dress my wounds when they needed to be.

There is no doubt in my mind that I have led a life that has been miles better in comparison to hers. We grew up very differently, and still to this day do. When you are with someone for so long, those things stop mattering, and you just… are. You’re something different than your past. Considering how long we have been together, It’s almost like living in a bubble; where others will see her as pieces of her past, or past versions of herself stuck in time, I have seen her throughout so much. So much change, and growth.

You would think that someone who has led the type of life that she has would be angry, or bitter, or disgusting. She isn’t any of that. To me, she is just Sam. Sam is a ride-or-die loyal partner that only comes once in a lifetime if you are even blessed to be that lucky. Sam is an extremely intelligent woman and has truly been a diamond amidst rubble in my eyes for the longest time. Yes, of course she is scarred (scarred beyond belief) but in my opinion that has made her all the more real when you get to know her. She is the type of person to be blunt with you- but not in a mean way. She is super down to earth and isn’t afraid to let her opinion be heard while still having situational awareness in the toughest of places.

There is not much that I can do to help my beloved Sam in this situation. There is only so much that I can give myself while still struggling to stay afloat. However, I am aware of the massive amount of followers that I have here on my Tiktok and Instagram. With a combined total of around 700,000 across my two platforms, my wish is for this campaign to be shared around, talked about, and supported. While I am fully aware that there are many different reasons why people cannot help financially, the support that I am hoping for comes in many different forms. A simple like, or a share, or a comment under whichever posts I make that are discussing this matter, are free and very accessible to those who would like to help out in some way.

I want to thank everyone who has made it this far and has read to this ending. And to Sam, who I know is going to probably read this multiple times… I wish that you could see yourself the way that I see you. You are deserving of so, SO much more. It is my goal to help you however I can to achieve the best future for you.