My name is Kristina and I am 57 years old. Ten years ago my friend saved me by offering to purchase a home for me to buy. My previous landlord of 25 years had sold my home, and it went for a whopping 1.5 million! I could not ever afford that. I was scared. I had nowhere to go. My friend took care of everything. Bought this house for me to purchase from her and for that I am eternally indebted.

For the past ten and a half years, I have been paying the mortgage in this beautiful neighborhood called Verdemont Heights, 92407.

At the end of June 2024 I was laid off from a job I thought I would retire from after being there 5+ years. It was incredibly painful, but I was thankful and loved them. I was sure I'd find employment again.

The beginning of August 2024, I had a seizure, went to emergency and was diagnosed with a brain tumor. I’ve never been sick a day in my life, no stitches, no broken bones, nothing. I’m incredibly healthy. I had to have surgery. They didn't discuss survival with me, more the four things that were most likely: hemorrhaging, stroke, paralysis and hospice care, or not waking. I posted during my 13 day stay at the hospital on Facebook in an album called My Brain Surgery if interested.

Click here: My Brain Surgery Recovery

Click here for the House

I was never scared of the surgery or not waking, my devotion kept me in acceptance. I woke up after 12 hours of surgery! I survived!

As part of my discharge, the doctors not only had my license suspended, but they put me on disability. I’ve worked since I was 16 and did not know that we were entitled to disability and I was very grateful for it. It took disability 51 days to finally pay me for a reason unbeknownst to anyone… Which I immediately caught up with the mortgage. I’d already burned through a lot of money —severance, sick pay/vacation—paying somebody to live at my house for 13 days, not to mention the food and groceries that I would need due to being on prednisone to ensure I wouldn’t have brain swelling. I ate a lot.

I was kept on disability for a year as I recovered knowing that that would be an issue on my résumé. I was told by EDD when I paused it for the surgery, that I could reclaim it once a disability was lifted. When I attempted to do so I was denied. Repeatedly denied. I spent three months having to check in with disability having to push to get my money each time that I was already entitled to, and here I was with EDD who took three months to realize that the statute did say that if I was on disability, I was un entitled to benefits. And FYI, California has the lowest unemployment weekly rate in the country. In the meantime, I had to pull out my 401(k) that was for the house purchase in order to survive. I didn’t think I was going to be receiving EDD benefits. It’s incredible that they assumed the minute that I was released from the doctors, I would be able to get a job immediately. In California. In this day and age. I knew it was going to be a struggle, but also knew that I was entitled to benefits that I had paid into as well my employer.

Once EDD approved me then I had to turn back again and fight for medical benefits that I was entitled to and won that appeal three days before they canceled. It was one issue after another, just to get to the next day and continue to recover. I’ve had hearing after hearing and appearances with judges via the phone, and every time I have won the case appeal. I am so tired of fighting for everything.

Everything‘s been going perfect since January 1. I have never been happier and more comfortable and knew that everything was gonna be fine. I’ve been looking for a job, continuing to pay the mortgage.

Then the first Friday in February, she called me. We’ve been having breakfast for 10 1/2 years at least once a month, we talk once or twice a week, this was different. She was sad, she was quiet, she sounded exhausted and defeated. And she said the words that I have always feared more than anything. And what she said was “I have to sell the house.”

This as I type just reminds me that I haven’t relaxed since this phone call. My stomach, my face, my heart. I am so uncomfortable in my own skin. The only thing I can do is just keep busy. I am so scared, terrified, I have dogs and nobody’s gonna let me move with my dogs. I don’t know what I’m going to do. I guess I should be grateful that I’m not having anxiety or panic attacks and that my head is screwed on tight. I do a lot of deep, deep breathing attempting to keep myself calm. The first three days it was awful. I didn’t sleep. I didn’t eat. I didn’t breathe. I didn’t know what to do. I was in a phonetic state doing everything all at once.

I kept asking her if there was any way that I could buy it and she would just say no. I really can’t fault her. It is her house, legally, and the lease that we had together ran out a few years ago and neither of us can find the purchase agreement that she had done when I first moved in. It’s just awful and yet I love her so much and she’s been so supportive not only during my health obstacle, but through every one of my life trials over the last 10 1/2 years. She has been the rock.

I’m not sleeping, I’m not eating, I am trying to make sure that I do those things but it’s very hard. I wake up at 4 AM and I don’t get to bed till 11 -1130 at night because I feel like if I don’t keep doing something and I stop, nothing is gonna happen. I’m also afraid to stop because I’ve never felt like this, so I’m trying to avoid any kind of letting it all overwhelm me.

The costs of the home was $239000. I have paid $112475 to date. that does not include the cash that I gave her, but she apparently does have records of that. Unfortunately, due to her financial situation—which we’re not discussing, it’s not really my business—she would like to recover just under $375000 for the Home. I myself am raising as much money as possible.

I am selling everything I can, even if I were to be able to make this happen and stay here it’s all replaceable at this point. I can start over again. But if I have things of value that I can sell to try to raise funds to put down, that’s what I’m focusing on, at the same time I’m I’m still looking for a job because I need a job at least for the next few months as she has given me a hard out in August, which means I need to have all this figured out by June. I am also asking for an invester, when appropriate, different friends and some family but have been declined every time. I need a co-owner if I cannot raise enough funds.

I spend four hours a day looking for a job. Sending my résumé writing the cover letters doing my due diligence. The remaining hours reaching out to people looking for a residence, going through rental listings, communicating with friends (I have so many amazing friends picking up some of the slack sending me relevant links ), I’m posting stuff on eBay, offerUp and Nextdoor, while planning for yard sales. My whole life is wrapped up here. I have furniture and a freezer and a fridge. I have plants and pictures, Momentos, and knickknacks that means something… it’s gut wrenching to decide what you can keep and what you cannot. Sometimes it takes me a couple of days and then I decide that it’s gotta go too. I am sick to my stomach. If I have to part with a lot of my life’s collection, if it’s for the greater good of owning this house, then so be it.

I also have dogs and I’ve spent some time looking at rentals and how to get from here into another dwelling and it’s impossible. They are show dogs but we are now retiring due to this. If I keep the house I'm gonna need to have a job everyday. Unless I want to live in absolute terror. It’s just me and one of the priorities that keeps me happy is knowing that I am safe. This house, this neighborhood, I am so safe. It’s so beautiful. It’s so fresh and clean. It’s my sanctuary. It’s my sanity. She’s a very small, modest home, but she’s mine and she has beautiful views and I feel safe and I can walk my neighborhood whenever I want and my neighbors around me are wonderful and take care of each other. I need someone to help me and believe in me and save me.

I constantly wonder why would I have woken up from that surgery, after 12 hours! Only to have this happen 16 months later? It makes no sense to me. I am terrified, I have never felt this desperate. I’ve always been able to take care of myself and maybe that’s a problem, that it’s always been just me, I’ve been single for 24 years now because I just never had any luck with men.

It’s hard in California as we all know and I’m fifth generation Angelino and I could not imagine living anywhere else.

I wish I could turn back the clock for the last month because I don’t feel happy at all anymore. I’m putting one foot in front of the other and doing everything I can.

I don’t drink or do drugs, I don’t have debt. I spend no money on entertainment, I barely buy clothes because when I buy something, it lasts forever. I am very very frugal. It’s expensive to live as we know and I have not had a disposable income since moving here. I’ve kept savings for emergency. I don’t have a sketchy record. I’ve never done anything illegal. I pay my bills. Years ago I closed my credit card accounts, paying all of them off, so I don’t even have a credit history at this point. I thought that I would be here till the day I died.

And that constant question runs around in my head as to why did I wake up from a 12 hour surgery where the last doctor claimed he brought in his team in the third to the last hour that I almost died? I did wake up and survive. I also had my full faculties! Why would I wake up just to suffer through this? I don’t understand it.

I’ve had my heartbroken and I’ve lost dogs and my grandparents but I never imagine that I could feel the pain and agony and ache that this has caused me and it’s just I guess like a divorce or a death or anything else traumatic. I don’t wanna live like this. I don’t wanna feel like this all the time. I wanna feel safe like I was before that phone call.

I love my house and my yard so much. We have this beautiful view of the San Bernardino mountains that I talked to every morning when i was doing my morning walk. I can’t do the walk anymore. It hurts. I can’t look at the mountains anymore. It hurts. I have a pond with turtles and goldfish that I’ve had for 30 years and I’m gonna have to find someone to take it. I have all these choices and decisions to make, and I just think back if I’ve never had brain surgery I wouldn’t be in this position. I’d have another job. I’d have my 401(k). I’d not be completely lost. I’m just a single woman who has never asked for anything. This was the first time anybody did anything to help me out. And now I’m losing it all and I don’t know what to do. I have nowhere to go. No one to turn to. I’ve been exhausting that avenue with family and friends and if they could, I know they would.

To each person that donates, I will pay you back somehow if I remain and as I generate income. I’m applying for everything from what I am qualified for, to even the local big box stores.

Please help fund me to save my home.