As many of you know, my family has been through it the last couple years. Before Hannah became disabled, Seeds4Succes, the job I had worked at for years and trained to take over as Executive Director, was unexpectedly closed. I pivoted to work that pays more and could give me more hours, and as we were about to stabilize and pay off our debts, Hannah became disabled, causing her to have to stop working and accrue many, many medical expenses.

Today, I am working basically around the clock, whenever I am not caregiving, taking care of the kids, the home, etc. Most weeks I work over full time, and I hustle to get extra work whenever I can. Hannah works as much as she can with her severely limiting disability. We use the food bank. We get help through IFCH, VYFS, St. Vincent and other island organizations. We get the free dinners from IFCH almost every night. And it still isn't enough. The rising costs of living on top of the rising costs of being disabled are outpacing our ability to make money. Simply put, we're drowning, while doing everything we can to keep our heads above water.

I began to list the things the money would go towards here but the list is honestly somewhat endless. Suffice to say, after working myself ragged and utilizing every resource I can find, I have about $30 in the bank, and multiple bills, medical supplies, and gas/ferry tickets needed. I fear life may just be like this forever for us - stuck in this cycle of poverty where every dollar I make they take a benefit away, to the point where I'm working more and feeling more broke than ever. Your support has gotten us here, without you all I cannot even imagine where we'd be, but we unfortunately have to reach out to our community again.

Likewise, listing Hannah's medical conditions would take more time than I have. The most pervasive and disabling of her conditions are Myalgic Encephalomyelitis, multiple heart conditions including birth defects exacerbated by her other conditions, Fibromyalgia and POTS. When we went over her conditions with a social worker, there were close to 20 different diagnosis, so this is just the tip of the iceberg. She is fighting for her life in literally every moment, pushing through indescribable pain to show up for her kids, friends and community whenever she can, and pushing herself to work as much as possible. She is truly the least deserving person this could happen to, was on the cusp of becoming a top mycologist in the country and finally working her dream job, to now living a life of constant pain, setbacks, isolation, ableism/discrimination, and worry.

Any dollar amount helps and kind words go a long way as well, especially for Hannah, who feels isolated from a town and community she loves deeply. We will never stop fighting and persevering, but your help makes it all the more possible.

Thank you all for your time.