A Simple Task That Isn't Simple Anymore

Some mornings, getting out of bed is the hardest thing I do all day. Not because I'm tired — because my body still remembers July 2025, the night a stranger's violence broke my nose and something quieter, harder to see.

The bruises healed. What's left is PTSD and Major Depressive Disorder — conditions that turn ordinary moments (a loud noise, silence at 3am, driving my car itself when surrounded by racing cars in traffic) into something my nervous system reads as danger all over again.

For months, I had free trauma-focused therapy through a specialized center. It kept me upright. That support just ended this month.

Here's where I am right now:

I have health insurance, but co-pays for the specialized therapy I need add up to roughly $500/month

I still owe $2000 in medical bills from the assault itself

I'm working full-time, living paycheck to paycheck, and the math doesn't currently work

My goal is $3,000 — enough to cover 4 months of therapy co-pays and pay down the remaining medical debt, so I'm not choosing between healing and staying afloat.

I've never asked for help easily. But I've learned that surviving this isn't something I can white-knuckle alone — and that letting people in isn't weakness, it's the only way through.

If you can give, any amount moves me closer to steady ground. If you can't, sharing this page takes ten seconds and might reach the person who can.

Thank you for reading this far. That alone means someone's paying attention.