Hi everyone! I'm finding myself suddenly in need of help. As many of you know, I'm a Ph.D. candidate in Emergency Management at North Dakota State University. I'm also a father of an (almost) nine-year-old son with my partner, Cassie. This fundraiser is mostly related to my partner.

Cassie suffers from schizophrenia and has been disabled for most of her life because of it. She's had occasional 'breaks' where she becomes seriously ill and has difficulty functioning mentally and conducting her life. Well, as some of you know, I attended the Natural Hazards Workshop in Colorado the week of July 13th. When I returned, I found that Cassie had one of these 'breaks'... not as serious as past occurrences, but still serious. We've worked with the doctor to adjust medications, and she is recovering. However, she is unable to work currently because of some of these medication adjustments, as the meds make her somewhat sedated. I have also needed to adjust my work schedule (in some cases miss work) to help take care of our son and take Cassie to appointments. My partner's 'break' unfortunately was bad timing, as I did not work much the week of my trip to Colorado and then had to change my schedule following my trip to help the family (I usually work ~15 hrs/wk as a self-checkout attendant at a grocery store).

So basically, we're running low on money for rent. We have access to food (food stamps, food banks, etc.), but money for rent is lacking, as is money for other bills. We live a pretty financially basic life below the poverty line, but every paycheck is critical, and loss of work hours means we suffer. I'm working on completing my degree, and Cassie hopes to get back to work soon. But in the meantime, any amount you can donate will be extremely helpful in stabilizing our family financially.

I appreciate everyone who reads this and appreciate any kind thoughts.