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I am the custodial parent of 3 children, a daughter that's 17, and 2 boys, 14 and 9. I have been divorced for 3yrs. now, tending to the everyday needs, for my children and their school activities. My ex-wife had turned diabetic, from giving birth to the children and had fallen into a severe case of post-pardon depression, due to the diabetic condition that had worsened as the children were born, which turned her to alcohol. As most of us know, alcohol and diabetes do not mix, at first I was unaware, of how severe this can be, but as time progressed, we could see the roller-coaster personality shine through. After hearing from others about the way some things were being handled by her, such as pinning them down on the ground, to brush their teeth, or ripping a brush through my daughters hair in the morning before school, I needed to do something about it. This was hard to see at first, since I was at work everyday on a 45-50hr. work week. One particular event, that has been a soar spot with my daughter, was a few days before Christmas, when she was helping decorate the tree and had started to put the tinsel on before the ornaments. Her mom, was into about her 2nd drink, which had brought her sugar-level up, started screaming at her about putting the ornaments on first, and just about ripped her arms off, tearing the tinsel out of her hands!!! Last year, was the first year, after spending many hours with her, that she was brave enough to help decorate the tree.

My oldest son, now 14, has had some very bad experiences, that had put so much stress on him that he started pulling his hair out, until he was completely bald on top of his head !!! The stress was caused by being constantly screamed at for things, that he was even doing. The last thing that really broke the camels back was, when he was trying to restrain his mother during a delirious diabetic overload of sugar, which had skyrocketed, to over 600. She began kicking him, until she kicked him right down the steps and he had to come back up and body slam her down on the floor, we all saw the UGLIER side of diabetes that night !!!!! The E.R. was called in and they strapped her down on a stretcher, deemed her delusional, then rushed her off to the hospital. Their mother decided after that happened, that it would be a good idea to leave the family and doesn't have much contact with her children. I've spent a lot of time with them, working through some of the traumatic episodes, that they encountered and have lost a lot of time for employment. Now that I have been unemployed for quite sometime and being a man in this position, getting assistance or help is almost impossible. I get the feeling that men with children are discriminated, there are no programs in place by the government for men with children. I am now up against all odds, the roof on our house needs to be shingled, every time it rains we see piles of gravel on the ground and my vehicle is on it's last leg. The utilities are always in shut off status and I'm now falling into foreclosure, due to being behind on the house payments for heavens sake, let alone the kids being sick from time to time, because of the old and deteriorating carpet in our house, so I'm being told by the doctors.

PLEASE HELP ME SOMEBODY, I JUST DON'T KNOW WHAT TO DO OR WHERE TO GET THE
MONEY TO MAKE THE LIVES OF MY CHILDREN ANY BETTER !!!

hi everyone i have lymphatic cancer,im going to make this short becuase its hard for me to go on about my story.put my life savings into getting treatment only to find out i was being ripped off, now im looking at any possible avenue to pay for another treatment. its not looking good for me, i can only pray to the ones that will lend a helping hand, thanks very much

My daughter and I are in need of finding a place of our own. These past couple months have been extremely hard because of the death of my mother. We were all living together and my mom was splitting the rent with me and I was working to take care of her. She was sick with Cancer and she had the operation and we all thought she was going to be okay. She did not recover like we expected and she ended up going in a Rehabilitation Center and we visited her often until she came home. I am the youngest of her children. I have 3 brothers and 1 sister and we are called the Berry 5. We were allways known as the Berry Family from the time we were little. My mom started to do better and we were so happy to have her home. It came time for her to Start Chemotherapy and Radiation. She was scared but I and my sister talked her into it because we knew the doctors had told us that she needed it because the cancer had spread to her lymp nodes and when they did the surgery they were not able to get everything. My mom had done one week of Radiation and she went in for one session of Chemo. The same day she had Chemo she seemed fine and then 2 days later she was having fevers, throwing up and so extremely weak. I thought it was because of the Chemo because that is what was explained to us. My concern was she couldn't keep anything down. I needed to give her medication for her Diabetes and High Blood Pressure but everytime I gave her anything, it all came up and so I was so scared because her blood sugar was high and I didn't want it to get any higher. She began to complain of stomach pain and I thought it was another side effect of the Chemo. For a couple days of her vomiting and having diarrhea, I was able to get some fluids down her and it seemed to stay. Little by little we both thought she was doing better. Her strength was not there though, it was difficult for her to even get up to go to the bathroom. The following day she continued to vomit and I was scared so I told her she needed to go to the hospital, because I felt that they could help her more. They could give her medications through an IV and they could find out why she was so weak and everything. She was scared and did not want to go but I convinced her. The ambulance came and took her to the hospital. I tried to follow her but I had to pick up my 11 year old daughter from school. I did go and they would not let me go back right away. I told them my mom had been brought in and they told me she wasn't checked in yet. About 20 minutes passed and I went back up to the window and they told me they would see if the doctor would let me back there and they were saying my daughter couldn't come back there because she wasn't 14, I told them she is only 11 years old and I'm not leaving her in the waiting room with strangers and that she was coming back there with me. They finally let us in and we went back to see my mom. I couldn't believe they had her hooked up to so many machines and she was on morphine and so out of it. I walked up to her and I said Ma, I'm here and she turned and looked at me. She was happy to see me, but then she told me that they told her, they found blood in her stools. I told her it was probably just do to her Hemorrhoids. but she said they told her it was positive for something. I asked her for what and she didn't know. I began looking for the doctor so I could ask questions but he wasn't around and everyone I talked to told me the doctor would be in soon to go over my mom's condition. I stayed with my mom, just holding her hand, telling her I loved her and that she was going to be okay. They came in to take her to have an ultrasound and my daughter and I waited. The doctor finally came in and told me that my mom had an abcess in her stomach that had burst. I said what are you talking about? He said that she had a condition called peridonitis and that the abcess burst and was releasing all this poison inside her stomach and her blood pressure was dropping dramatically. He then told me it was too dangerous for them to operate at that time because her INR level to to high. My mom had been taking Cumadin for a blood clot that she previously had and the cumadin made her INR level extremely high and her blood was not clotting so they said if they did surgery, she would bleed out. They said they needed to correct it by giving her lots of blood products and they gave her all kinds of strong antibiotics and blood and plasma. They were pumping so much stuff into her, I didn't know what to do. Her blood pressure was like 85/60 and then like 76/40 and it was getting lower and lower. They had her hooked up to so many IVs and then they told me that she was the sickest person they had in the ER. So many doctors and interns and students and nurses overcrowded my mom's room. I called my sister and told her what was going on and she came down to be with me and my daughter. They told us they would do all they could for my mom but that it didn't look good. I began to pray, my mom had always taught me to pray and give things over to god. As the night went on, they decided to put an IV in my moms neck, they said it was more direct and if and when she went to surgery it would be better to have that in place. They made us leave the room and they had like 10 people in there with there machines and cameras and equipment to help guide them where to put the IV at. I had never gone through this before and I was so scared but I was keeping my faith. One doctor wanted to talk to me and my sister alone and I didn't want to hear him telling me anything negative. He asked us a lot of questions concerning my mom's health and history. He then told us that she was in acute renal failure and that her colon was damaged where the abcess bursts and fecal was being released into her abdomen. This is the last thing I wanted to hear. I asked him if they could fix it, he said they would do all they could but that their main focus was trying to bring her INR levels down because they were dangerously high. She was also anemic and that is why she was so weak, her blood level was extremely low. They were continuously giving her blood products, antibiotics and plasma. My sister decided to take my daughter home with her. I told her I would call her when I knew when they were going to do surgery. The surgeon had spoken to us and said that it was a good chance, and that operating was her only chance and once her blood level was corrected that they would go in and repair the damage. I felt some what relieved but as the night went on she was in a fight for her life. The main doctor working on my mom's case came and told me that her breathing was not getting any better and that he needed to put her to sleep so he could intubate her and put a breathing tube down her throat. He said it would be good to have anyways so that she would be ready when they went to surgery. There was nothing I could do except walk out of the room and wait. I continued to pray and wait and pray and wait. Hours went by and I would walk and peek inside the room and see my mom's blood pressure increasing some, this gave me hope but then the doctor would come and tell me it wasn't looking like she was improving and that we needed to prepare that she might not make it through the night. i couldn't believe what he was telling me. I called my sister and my brother and told them , they were praying as well. I didn't know who to listen to, one doctor is telling me it's hopeless and the surgeon is telling me it's a good chance she would be okay once taken to surgery. I sat in the hall because they wouldn't let me back in and they stayed with her at all times, monitoring her and giving her medicine and all the blood and stuff back to back. Then they came out in the hall and told me they were ready to take her to surgery. They said she might not hear you but you can still talk to her. I walked up to her lying there, so still and I told her how much I loved her and i told her to fight and that we would do it togther and that I would be here when she woke up and that I was not leaving her. The surgeon put me in the OR waiting room. I was all alone in there by myself. I waited and waited and only 20 mins went by and a security guard told me there was a cafe there and if I wanted to go grab a cup of coffee that I could. I went downstairs and got the coffee, as soon as I reached the OR floor I saw the surgeon standing there, he walked over to me and he said, I'm sorry but your mom's heart stopped during surgery and we revived her but then it stopped again and he said I don't we can get it back. My whole world just crumbled, I began screaming and crying and I fell to the floor. I was just askig God why. Why is this happening? This security lady came over to comfort me and began telling me how sorry she was and asked me if I had any family I could call. I called my sister and told her and she said she was on her way down. She lived in another city about 45 mins away. I was still on the ground just broken and this lady began to tell me that God would help me and give me the strength to go on. She asked me if I had any children, I told her I had a daughter, and she told me I needed to be strong for her. I wasn't trying to hear all that. My whole world was ripped right from under me. A couple of doctors and this lady helped me off the floor and the surgeon that came out , came out again and told me they would take me back to see her. They brought out a wheelchair and wheeled me back there and when they opened the door, my god I just saw them on top of her doing chest compressions and I was just screaming and then the surgeon is telling me I need to make a decision because everytime they do that, they are hurting her and he said, you don't want her to suffer anymore. I was just waiting on my sister4. I didn't want to make that call but I didn't want them pounding her chest in so I told them to stop. It killed in me inside. They wheeled me over to her and I just cried. My mom was only 60 years old and she had her whole life ahead of her and I don't understand why any of this happened. She was such a beautiful person and she had been a christian for 33 years. SHe loved the lord and she raised me and my siblings up in the church. I couldn't believe that she was gone because I had prayed and prayed and I just knew that God would spare her life. I lost my real father at the age of 16 and even then I didn't know him. I always had my mom and she remarried when I was 11 years old. She had been married for 19 years and my step father passed away in July of 2008. He was a sickly person and she took care of him and nursed him for all those years. He had diabetes, high blood pressure, prostate cancer, he was on dialysis for kidney failure, he had a four by pass surgery and he was in and out of the hospitals for years. She suffered so much seeing him suffer and taking care of him, he took what little strength she had. But because he was her husband she did all she could to help him and she loved him so much. So now all remains is just me and my siblings. It's hard because my mom was my best friend. I can't remember a time when she wasn't around. We did everything together and we lived together for years and I took care of her. I wanted so bad for her to be okay and to make it through surgery, I had been taught for years about the love of Jesus and I couldn't understand what he chose to take her away from her children and grandchildren. We had a two bedroom apartment and she had her room and my daughter and I shared a room. After she died, I went home that morning with my sister and I stayed over there for the remainder of the day. The whole day was just hurting, crying and calling the rest of the family. I felt so bad because my youngest brother, say youngest because he is the youngest of my 3 brothers, even though they are all older than me. He came to the hospital to see my mom but he thought she was still alive and the doctors didn't tell him, they let him in the room and she was already covered up and he walked in and was like, it's over ?? he couldn't believe it , he just broke down. One of the nurses that was in the OR called my sister and he was crying, apologizing to us because he thought my brother already knew. He told us how sorry he was. Now my family is broken, my mom was the rock that held us all together. We didn't have money growing up, we didn't have a lot of the finer things in life but we had love. She loved us like no one could. She did it all for her children and most importantly she taught us about God. She lived her life for Jesus, she would pray on a regular basis, read her bible daily, go to church often as she could and when things looked hopeless she took them to god in prayer. She prayed not only for her children, grandchildren and siblings but for people all over the world, she would pray for all the countries and for the sick and homeless and anyone she could pray for. She gave over the years endlessly to Trinity Broadcasting Network, Feed the children, CBN, David Terrell Ministries, Boys Town, Children International, Food For All and to so many others. Month after month, year after year she was giving. She taught us how to give and there were times when we would just make food and take it to the park to give to the homeless, bottled water, sandwiches, noodles, chicken or whatever we could. She would never turn down a person needing help or asking for spare change, she would give freely. She would tell me all the time, it's better to give than to receive and that god would bless me. So I began giving as well, I would call and donate and try to help whenever I could. My mom was also a big giver to the goodwill. Over the years we gave so much, and everytime they would ask if we wanted a donation paper for a tax write off she would say no. she didn't want that, she was giving freely and she didn't want anything in return. That's who she was, she was the person who would mentor you and talk to you about Jesus and how over the years he brought her and our family through so many trials and tribulations. SHe praised god for everything, for the good times and the bad. She used to always tell me to be thankful and to praise god. Now there were times when i was suffering so much and I didn't want to praise god, I wanted god to help me and at the time it seemed like he wasn't. My mom was always there to tell me baby, hold on.. give your burdens over to the lord and he will help you and supply all your needs. I realized that he did just that. I remember when she had surgery for the cancer and she was wondering why god allowed her to come down with that. It was hard for her because her faith was shaken then. She couldn't believe after she was faithful to him for so many years that he would allow her to suffer so horribly and there my sister and I were telling her that she would be okay, that God loved her still and he had not forsaken her and that he would bring her through this. She was so discouraged at the time but we would not let up. She couldn't believe this was her children mentoring and encouragiing her as she had done for us over the years. She told me, she was happy and she felt relieved that her living and everything she had taught us was not in vain. She was thankful to God that we were listening to her and by example we followed her footsteps. She began to get better and we thought she would be okay. My mom was a pure Christian, she didn't drink, didn't smoke, didn't do drugs, didn't curse. She would make you turn the tv channel if you were watching something that cursed. She loved her cowboys though. Her favorites were Bonanza, The rifle man, High Chapparal, Wagon Train, The Virginian and so many others. She also loved the old shows, the clean shows, the original dennis the menace, columbo, family affair, petticoat junction, I married joan, hawai five o, the streets of san francisco, i spy, murder she wrote, in the heat of the night, matlock, the big vally, dr quinn, little house on the prairie, family ties, good times, 227, what's happening, the jeffersons, the brady bunch and so many others. Her favorite game shows were The price is right, deal or no deal, let's make a deal, the newlywed game, match game and who wants to be a millionaire. I loved spending time with my mom, she was someone I could always talk to and she would never judge me, she would tell me how much she loved me and how proud she was of me. She taught me how to carry myself as a lady and she taught me how to stand up for myself and I owe her so much. I felt like I let her down that night she was in the hospital and I told her she would be okay and that I would be waiting for her when she woke up but she never woke up. I felt that made me a liar. I had been taking care of my mom for months and I was preparing her meals, giving her medications on schedule and was taking her to her appointments and running errands for her. My mom had been weak for so long because before she found out she had cancer she was bleeding perfusely having vaginal bleeding and they made her very anemic. Before surgery she had 4 transfusions and then after surgery she had 2 more. She never got all her strength back and after she had the first surgery, she was too weak that they sent her to Ballard Rehabilitation and they were working on getting her strength back and getting her up and walking. She did so much better when she was in there and when she came home, they sent out a home health nurse, a physcialy therapist and an occupational therapist. They began doing exercises with her and the physical therapist thought it would benefit my mom to have some help with getting around. So she ordered her an walker , the kind that had a seat on it, she ordered her a wheel chair, a raised toilet seat with the rails and a shower chair and shower bench. So when my mom started walking more better she was using her walker all the time, it was helping her because she had the support to keep her from falling and when she got tired , she could just sit down. I did all I could to take care of her, on a daily basis. She was not strong enough to shower herself, so I bought the shower hose and I began to shower her daily, dress her and do everything for her but I loved her so much and I didn't care what I had to do, she was my mom. There were days when she thought she was a burden to me and she would tell me, that I work to hard and that she was sorry she was not able to do things for herself and i would immediately tell her to stop talking like that. I would tell her, she was my mom, I loved her and wanted to look after her and that she wasn't a burden on me. That she took care of me when I was little and over the years and now it was my turn to take care of her. She told me a couple weeks before she passed away , you said, you really stood by your mom, when all the others went on their way. you stood by your mom. She said, I don't know what I would have done with out you. She said I don't know how I would have made it and she said god is really going to bless you and he will remember everything you did for your mother. She told me how special I was and now that she is gone , I remember everything she ever told me. It has been so hard, going through all her things and seeing all the cards and letters she gave me over the years. Everybody keeps telling me it will get better but I don't see that happening. I can't go one day without crying for missing her so much. I am grateful because she is not in any more pain but I am hurting so badly without her. I have a big sister but we have never been that close, she seems to want to spend more time with me now but nobody could ever feel that empty space inside my heart for my mother. I recently moved in with my brother and I want so desperately for me and my daughter to be able to get a place of our own. It costs so much to pay for first and last months rent and I have this old 1994 car that has been giving me so much trouble and I am barely scraping along , just trying to make it. I would appreciate any help I am given. If anyone can find it in their heart to help me and my daughter move out and get our own place or simply help us with the day to day necessities, it would be greatly appreciated.

My daughter and I are in need of finding a place of our own. These past couple months have been extremely hard because of the death of my mother. We were all living together and my mom was splitting the rent with me and I was working to take care of her. She was sick with Cancer and she had the operation and we all thought she was going to be okay. She did not recover like we expected and she ended up going in a Rehabilitation Center and we visited her often until she came home. I am the youngest of her children. I have 3 brothers and 1 sister and we are called the Berry 5. We were allways known as the Berry Family from the time we were little. My mom started to do better and we were so happy to have her home. It came time for her to Start Chemotherapy and Radiation. She was scared but I and my sister talked her into it because we knew the doctors had told us that she needed it because the cancer had spread to her lymp nodes and when they did the surgery they were not able to get everything. My mom had done one week of Radiation and she went in for one session of Chemo. The same day she had Chemo she seemed fine and then 2 days later she was having fevers, throwing up and so extremely weak. I thought it was because of the Chemo because that is what was explained to us. My concern was she couldn't keep anything down. I needed to give her medication for her Diabetes and High Blood Pressure but everytime I gave her anything, it all came up and so I was so scared because her blood sugar was high and I didn't want it to get any higher. She began to complain of stomach pain and I thought it was another side effect of the Chemo. For a couple days of her vomiting and having diarrhea, I was able to get some fluids down her and it seemed to stay. Little by little we both thought she was doing better. Her strength was not there though, it was difficult for her to even get up to go to the bathroom. The following day she continued to vomit and I was scared so I told her she needed to go to the hospital, because I felt that they could help her more. They could give her medications through an IV and they could find out why she was so weak and everything. She was scared and did not want to go but I convinced her. The ambulance came and took her to the hospital. I tried to follow her but I had to pick up my 11 year old daughter from school. I did go and they would not let me go back right away. I told them my mom had been brought in and they told me she wasn't checked in yet. About 20 minutes passed and I went back up to the window and they told me they would see if the doctor would let me back there and they were saying my daughter couldn't come back there because she wasn't 14, I told them she is only 11 years old and I'm not leaving her in the waiting room with strangers and that she was coming back there with me. They finally let us in and we went back to see my mom. I couldn't believe they had her hooked up to so many machines and she was on morphine and so out of it. I walked up to her and I said Ma, I'm here and she turned and looked at me. She was happy to see me, but then she told me that they told her, they found blood in her stools. I told her it was probably just do to her Hemorrhoids. but she said they told her it was positive for something. I asked her for what and she didn't know. I began looking for the doctor so I could ask questions but he wasn't around and everyone I talked to told me the doctor would be in soon to go over my mom's condition. I stayed with my mom, just holding her hand, telling her I loved her and that she was going to be okay. They came in to take her to have an ultrasound and my daughter and I waited. The doctor finally came in and told me that my mom had an abcess in her stomach that had burst. I said what are you talking about? He said that she had a condition called peridonitis and that the abcess burst and was releasing all this poison inside her stomach and her blood pressure was dropping dramatically. He then told me it was too dangerous for them to operate at that time because her INR level to to high. My mom had been taking Cumadin for a blood clot that she previously had and the cumadin made her INR level extremely high and her blood was not clotting so they said if they did surgery, she would bleed out. They said they needed to correct it by giving her lots of blood products and they gave her all kinds of strong antibiotics and blood and plasma. They were pumping so much stuff into her, I didn't know what to do. Her blood pressure was like 85/60 and then like 76/40 and it was getting lower and lower. They had her hooked up to so many IVs and then they told me that she was the sickest person they had in the ER. So many doctors and interns and students and nurses overcrowded my mom's room. I called my sister and told her what was going on and she came down to be with me and my daughter. They told us they would do all they could for my mom but that it didn't look good. I began to pray, my mom had always taught me to pray and give things over to god. As the night went on, they decided to put an IV in my moms neck, they said it was more direct and if and when she went to surgery it would be better to have that in place. They made us leave the room and they had like 10 people in there with there machines and cameras and equipment to help guide them where to put the IV at. I had never gone through this before and I was so scared but I was keeping my faith. One doctor wanted to talk to me and my sister alone and I didn't want to hear him telling me anything negative. He asked us a lot of questions concerning my mom's health and history. He then told us that she was in acute renal failure and that her colon was damaged where the abcess bursts and fecal was being released into her abdomen. This is the last thing I wanted to hear. I asked him if they could fix it, he said they would do all they could but that their main focus was trying to bring her INR levels down because they were dangerously high. She was also anemic and that is why she was so weak, her blood level was extremely low. They were continuously giving her blood products, antibiotics and plasma. My sister decided to take my daughter home with her. I told her I would call her when I knew when they were going to do surgery. The surgeon had spoken to us and said that it was a good chance, and that operating was her only chance and once her blood level was corrected that they would go in and repair the damage. I felt some what relieved but as the night went on she was in a fight for her life. The main doctor working on my mom's case came and told me that her breathing was not getting any better and that he needed to put her to sleep so he could intubate her and put a breathing tube down her throat. He said it would be good to have anyways so that she would be ready when they went to surgery. There was nothing I could do except walk out of the room and wait. I continued to pray and wait and pray and wait. Hours went by and I would walk and peek inside the room and see my mom's blood pressure increasing some, this gave me hope but then the doctor would come and tell me it wasn't looking like she was improving and that we needed to prepare that she might not make it through the night. i couldn't believe what he was telling me. I called my sister and my brother and told them , they were praying as well. I didn't know who to listen to, one doctor is telling me it's hopeless and the surgeon is telling me it's a good chance she would be okay once taken to surgery. I sat in the hall because they wouldn't let me back in and they stayed with her at all times, monitoring her and giving her medicine and all the blood and stuff back to back. Then they came out in the hall and told me they were ready to take her to surgery. They said she might not hear you but you can still talk to her. I walked up to her lying there, so still and I told her how much I loved her and i told her to fight and that we would do it togther and that I would be here when she woke up and that I was not leaving her. The surgeon put me in the OR waiting room. I was all alone in there by myself. I waited and waited and only 20 mins went by and a security guard told me there was a cafe there and if I wanted to go grab a cup of coffee that I could. I went downstairs and got the coffee, as soon as I reached the OR floor I saw the surgeon standing there, he walked over to me and he said, I'm sorry but your mom's heart stopped during surgery and we revived her but then it stopped again and he said I don't we can get it back. My whole world just crumbled, I began screaming and crying and I fell to the floor. I was just askig God why. Why is this happening? This security lady came over to comfort me and began telling me how sorry she was and asked me if I had any family I could call. I called my sister and told her and she said she was on her way down. She lived in another city about 45 mins away. I was still on the ground just broken and this lady began to tell me that God would help me and give me the strength to go on. She asked me if I had any children, I told her I had a daughter, and she told me I needed to be strong for her. I wasn't trying to hear all that. My whole world was ripped right from under me. A couple of doctors and this lady helped me off the floor and the surgeon that came out , came out again and told me they would take me back to see her. They brought out a wheelchair and wheeled me back there and when they opened the door, my god I just saw them on top of her doing chest compressions and I was just screaming and then the surgeon is telling me I need to make a decision because everytime they do that, they are hurting her and he said, you don't want her to suffer anymore. I was just waiting on my sister4. I didn't want to make that call but I didn't want them pounding her chest in so I told them to stop. It killed in me inside. They wheeled me over to her and I just cried. My mom was only 60 years old and she had her whole life ahead of her and I don't understand why any of this happened. She was such a beautiful person and she had been a christian for 33 years. SHe loved the lord and she raised me and my siblings up in the church. I couldn't believe that she was gone because I had prayed and prayed and I just knew that God would spare her life. I lost my real father at the age of 16 and even then I didn't know him. I always had my mom and she remarried when I was 11 years old. She had been married for 19 years and my step father passed away in July of 2008. He was a sickly person and she took care of him and nursed him for all those years. He had diabetes, high blood pressure, prostate cancer, he was on dialysis for kidney failure, he had a four by pass surgery and he was in and out of the hospitals for years. She suffered so much seeing him suffer and taking care of him, he took what little strength she had. But because he was her husband she did all she could to help him and she loved him so much. So now all remains is just me and my siblings. It's hard because my mom was my best friend. I can't remember a time when she wasn't around. We did everything together and we lived together for years and I took care of her. I wanted so bad for her to be okay and to make it through surgery, I had been taught for years about the love of Jesus and I couldn't understand what he chose to take her away from her children and grandchildren. We had a two bedroom apartment and she had her room and my daughter and I shared a room. After she died, I went home that morning with my sister and I stayed over there for the remainder of the day. The whole day was just hurting, crying and calling the rest of the family. I felt so bad because my youngest brother, say youngest because he is the youngest of my 3 brothers, even though they are all older than me. He came to the hospital to see my mom but he thought she was still alive and the doctors didn't tell him, they let him in the room and she was already covered up and he walked in and was like, it's over ?? he couldn't believe it , he just broke down. One of the nurses that was in the OR called my sister and he was crying, apologizing to us because he thought my brother already knew. He told us how sorry he was. Now my family is broken, my mom was the rock that held us all together. We didn't have money growing up, we didn't have a lot of the finer things in life but we had love. She loved us like no one could. She did it all for her children and most importantly she taught us about God. She lived her life for Jesus, she would pray on a regular basis, read her bible daily, go to church often as she could and when things looked hopeless she took them to god in prayer. She prayed not only for her children, grandchildren and siblings but for people all over the world, she would pray for all the countries and for the sick and homeless and anyone she could pray for. She gave over the years endlessly to Trinity Broadcasting Network, Feed the children, CBN, David Terrell Ministries, Boys Town, Children International, Food For All and to so many others. Month after month, year after year she was giving. She taught us how to give and there were times when we would just make food and take it to the park to give to the homeless, bottled water, sandwiches, noodles, chicken or whatever we could. She would never turn down a person needing help or asking for spare change, she would give freely. She would tell me all the time, it's better to give than to receive and that god would bless me. So I began giving as well, I would call and donate and try to help whenever I could. My mom was also a big giver to the goodwill. Over the years we gave so much, and everytime they would ask if we wanted a donation paper for a tax write off she would say no. she didn't want that, she was giving freely and she didn't want anything in return. That's who she was, she was the person who would mentor you and talk to you about Jesus and how over the years he brought her and our family through so many trials and tribulations. SHe praised god for everything, for the good times and the bad. She used to always tell me to be thankful and to praise god. Now there were times when i was suffering so much and I didn't want to praise god, I wanted god to help me and at the time it seemed like he wasn't. My mom was always there to tell me baby, hold on.. give your burdens over to the lord and he will help you and supply all your needs. I realized that he did just that. I remember when she had surgery for the cancer and she was wondering why god allowed her to come down with that. It was hard for her because her faith was shaken then. She couldn't believe after she was faithful to him for so many years that he would allow her to suffer so horribly and there my sister and I were telling her that she would be okay, that God loved her still and he had not forsaken her and that he would bring her through this. She was so discouraged at the time but we would not let up. She couldn't believe this was her children mentoring and encouragiing her as she had done for us over the years. She told me, she was happy and she felt relieved that her living and everything she had taught us was not in vain. She was thankful to God that we were listening to her and by example we followed her footsteps. She began to get better and we thought she would be okay. My mom was a pure Christian, she didn't drink, didn't smoke, didn't do drugs, didn't curse. She would make you turn the tv channel if you were watching something that cursed. She loved her cowboys though. Her favorites were Bonanza, The rifle man, High Chapparal, Wagon Train, The Virginian and so many others. She also loved the old shows, the clean shows, the original dennis the menace, columbo, family affair, petticoat junction, I married joan, hawai five o, the streets of san francisco, i spy, murder she wrote, in the heat of the night, matlock, the big vally, dr quinn, little house on the prairie, family ties, good times, 227, what's happening, the jeffersons, the brady bunch and so many others. Her favorite game shows were The price is right, deal or no deal, let's make a deal, the newlywed game, match game and who wants to be a millionaire. I loved spending time with my mom, she was someone I could always talk to and she would never judge me, she would tell me how much she loved me and how proud she was of me. She taught me how to carry myself as a lady and she taught me how to stand up for myself and I owe her so much. I felt like I let her down that night she was in the hospital and I told her she would be okay and that I would be waiting for her when she woke up but she never woke up. I felt that made me a liar. I had been taking care of my mom for months and I was preparing her meals, giving her medications on schedule and was taking her to her appointments and running errands for her. My mom had been weak for so long because before she found out she had cancer she was bleeding perfusely having vaginal bleeding and they made her very anemic. Before surgery she had 4 transfusions and then after surgery she had 2 more. She never got all her strength back and after she had the first surgery, she was too weak that they sent her to Ballard Rehabilitation and they were working on getting her strength back and getting her up and walking. She did so much better when she was in there and when she came home, they sent out a home health nurse, a physcialy therapist and an occupational therapist. They began doing exercises with her and the physical therapist thought it would benefit my mom to have some help with getting around. So she ordered her an walker , the kind that had a seat on it, she ordered her a wheel chair, a raised toilet seat with the rails and a shower chair and shower bench. So when my mom started walking more better she was using her walker all the time, it was helping her because she had the support to keep her from falling and when she got tired , she could just sit down. I did all I could to take care of her, on a daily basis. She was not strong enough to shower herself, so I bought the shower hose and I began to shower her daily, dress her and do everything for her but I loved her so much and I didn't care what I had to do, she was my mom. There were days when she thought she was a burden to me and she would tell me, that I work to hard and that she was sorry she was not able to do things for herself and i would immediately tell her to stop talking like that. I would tell her, she was my mom, I loved her and wanted to look after her and that she wasn't a burden on me. That she took care of me when I was little and over the years and now it was my turn to take care of her. She told me a couple weeks before she passed away , you said, you really stood by your mom, when all the others went on their way. you stood by your mom. She said, I don't know what I would have done with out you. She said I don't know how I would have made it and she said god is really going to bless you and he will remember everything you did for your mother. She told me how special I was and now that she is gone , I remember everything she ever told me. It has been so hard, going through all her things and seeing all the cards and letters she gave me over the years. Everybody keeps telling me it will get better but I don't see that happening. I can't go one day without crying for missing her so much. I am grateful because she is not in any more pain but I am hurting so badly without her. I have a big sister but we have never been that close, she seems to want to spend more time with me now but nobody could ever feel that empty space inside my heart for my mother. I recently moved in with my brother and I want so desperately for me and my daughter to be able to get a place of our own. It costs so much to pay for first and last months rent and I have this old 1994 car that has been giving me so much trouble and I am barely scraping along , just trying to make it. I would appreciate any help I am given. If anyone can find it in their heart to help me and my daughter move out and get our own place or simply help us with the day to day necessities, it would be greatly appreciated.

Hi , a few introduction about me ,my name is yazid and i am from malaysia ,married with 2 children. Past few years i has been in some troubled after being a guarontor for my friend with has coused me to fall into a debt holes , years after years still i cant recover from my financial crisis and it became more worst now unless i could settle the root of my debt wich is about MYR 50K. I still got a decent job but still cant cover the amount of the interest that about 9% monthly. What ripped my heart that i barelly seey family smiles , it became a stressfull day everydays. Please help me to bring those smiles back , it only you i could help me for those who are more luckier than me. Thank you

Ava is our adorable pup that we adopted through the
Penny Foundation. Ava is a rescue dog from Mexico. She has filled our
lives with joy and happiness. Ava turned one year old in February. She
is a very active, playful pup who is full of life. A month ago, the exuberant Ava was playing in our backyard. She slipped, and ripped a
tendon in her right hind leg. Upon initial vet exam, she was deemed
fine. However, the condition persisted and she refused to play or go
for walks (VERY unusual for Ava). We took her to a different vet a week
later, and the diagnosis came in – Ava would require surgery. There was
no other option. The injury would not heal on its own. The vet told us
that Ava’s breed is prone to this type of injury. We were very sad to
hear this, as Ava is so young and the surgery would require two months
of recovery time. The surgery is also expensive – $3000 minimum. My
husband and I are not rich people, and are therefore trying to raise
some money to go towards Ava’s surgery. Any amount will help. We want
Ava to make a full recovery, and get back to her normal, fun, playful
puppy lifestyle. The vet told us the prognosis after surgery is very
good, and that Ava should return to full function. Please help Ava.
Thank you!

My parents, both just retired, have been ripped off by their tenant who has stripped out and gutted their shop premises and moved on. The court fees are killing us and they have no income until they sell the shop which at the moment nobody wants due to its state. At the moment I pay for them ,their mortgage,bills etc as well as my own mortgage,bills for me and my wife and children. I have maxed out all my cards, have two loans and am surviving day to day on pennies as my salary has been eaten away with bills. I need help. Any donations would be gratefully received.

PLEASE SAVE MY KITCHEN!!!
the flooring is mouldy rotten and covered in stale vegetable oil- yeah i have cleaned it but thats not the point.
my mum who has no style chose a glittery red piece of flooring and a ripped up piece and stuck them together!!! i need new tiles- not costly not luxury just NORMAL
please donate- least im honest

Im not ill and im not harping on a sob story i just need a fund to buy some floor tiles for my kitchen that SUCKS!! Honestly it has one ripped up OLD layer of flooring and on top of that an ill fitted glittery red piece of flooring showing the ripped up old flooring!!
B&q aint exactly cheap for them and i dont really like POUNDLANDS ones i have them in the kids room and the cats are gnawing at it!

i am a lady M.S. sufferer,had to give up my job which i absolutly loved, approx 4yrs ago due to my condition deteriating.I am now completly wheelchair bound and housebound.I try so hard to stay positive but sometimes i just cant.at the moment i am struggling to save up which is so hard from my meager benefits{which believe me i am so gratful for}as i desperatly need a replacement wheelchair,The one i use at present is totally worn out,tyres bald ,cushion ripped,etcetc.i am so ashamed of it.it was secondhand when i got it and ive looked after it as best i could.i would be eternally gratful for any donation no matter how small.thank you so very much x

If you have a collage degree, house, bank account, good car, and a career: please help me. I have none of these things. I have no diploma. I had to get help to pay for a GED just recently, wish me luck on the test. I rent a single wide trailer that had mold problems and made my family sick. We are better now. The landlord ripped the shower and floors out and replaced everything. I am afraid of the mold coming back and making us sick again. I’m 26 and have no bank account. I tried to start one but couldn’t keep any money in it, because of how little I made in construction. My car doesn’t go into reverse and slips in first gear sometimes. I have no job because I was laid off three months ago when the job ended. I’ve been looking for jobs and filling out applications around my small city, but no one will call me back.

Let me tell you more about myself. I was two years old when my father was shot and killed in the big city. I grew up on welfare with my mother and grandmother. When I was seven we lost grandma’s house and began to move around a lot. When I was twelve, my grandmother died from being in a moldy house that we were renting. My mother moved to the country with her boyfriend and I followed shortly after. In school I was smart, but moving around everywhere was costly. I lost credit for a lot of hard work simply because the schools were on two different schedules. After living with my mom’s drunken boyfriend and having him beat on her, I dropped out of school to get a job in construction. I was able to make enough for us to rent our own place.

I married my high school sweetheart about a year ago. I had hoped that we would make a wonderful life together, but it’s proven to be very difficult. She did graduate and attend college; however, she did not finish her Bachelors degree. She has a little more than half a semester left, but we ran into some tax problems and she has not been able to go back and finish. Now she owes 6,000 in college dept and I owe thousands in back taxes. She has eyesight problems (coloboma) and can’t drive herself. She works with her mom cleaning houses and babysitting. I dream about being rich and successful, and making all our financial problems go away. I don’t see how that’s going to happen with all of our problems. I want to go to college and get a degree, but I need help getting on my feet. Please help me and my family realize our dreams of financial freedom.

America is one of the most charitable nations on earth, with lots of people that have been financially blessed. I read that there are 7.5 million millionaires in America, and I hope someone reading this is one of them. Please change my life forever with a big donation. I dream of being successful and using my money to help others who need it. I want to make a difference for good in this troubled world, but it’s hard to do when you can’t even help yourself.

If you have a collage degree, house, bank account, good car, and a job: you have more than me. I have none of these things. I have no diploma. I had to get help to pay for a GED just recently, wish me luck on the test. I rent a single wide trailer that had mold problems and made my family sick. We are better now. The landlord ripped the shower and floors out and replaced everything. I fear the mold coming back and making us sick again. I’m 26 and have no bank account, I tried to have one when I was younger but couldn’t keep any money in it because of how little I made in construction. My car doesn’t go into reverse and slips in first gear sometimes. I have no job because I was laid off three months ago when the job ended. I’ve been looking for jobs and filling out applications around my small town but no one will call me back.
Let me tell you more about myself. I was two years old when my father was shot and killed in the big city. I grew up on welfare with my mother and grandmother. When I was seven we lost grandma’s house and began to move around all over. When I was twelve, my grandmother died from being in a moldy house that we were renting. My mother moved to the country with her boyfriend and I followed shortly after. In school I was smart, but moving around everywhere was costly. I lost credit for a lot of hard work simply because the schools were on two different schedules. After living with my mom’s drunken boyfriend and having her cry to me when he hit her, I dropped out of school to get a job in construction. I was able to make enough for us to scrape by and barely pay bills.
I married my high school sweetheart about a year ago. I had hoped that we would make a wonderful life together, but it’s proven to be very difficult. She did graduate and attend college; however, she did not finish her Bachelors degree. She has a little more than half a semester left, but we ran into some tax problems and she has not been able to go back and finish. Now she owes 6,000 in college dept and I owe thousands in back taxes. She has eyesight problems (coloboma) and can’t drive herself. She works with her mom cleaning houses and babysitting. I dream about being rich and successful, and making all our financial problems go away. I don’t see how that’s going to happen with all of our problems. I want to go to college and get a degree, but I need help getting on my feet. Please help me and my family realize our dreams of financial freedom.
America is one of the most charitable nations on earth, with lots of people that have been financially blessed. I read that there are 7.5 million millionaires in America, and I hope someone reading this is one of them. Please change my life forever with a big donation. I dream of being successful and using my money to help others who need it. I want to make a difference for good in this troubled world, but it’s hard to do when you can’t even help yourself. I will use any money I get from online to pay taxes and get into college.

If you have a collage degree, house, bank account, good car, and a job: you have more than me. I have none of these things. I have no diploma. I had to get help to pay for a GED just recently, wish me luck on the test. I rent a single wide trailer that had mold problems and made my family sick. We are better now. The landlord ripped the shower and floors out and replaced everything. I fear the mold coming back and making us sick again. I’m 26 and have no bank account, I tried to have one when I was younger but couldn’t keep any money in it because of how little I made in construction. My car doesn’t go into reverse and slips in first gear sometimes. I have no job because I was laid off three months ago when the job ended. I’ve been looking for jobs and filling out applications around my small town but no one will call me back.
Let me tell you more about myself. I was two years old when my father was shot and killed in the big city. I grew up on welfare with my mother and grandmother. When I was seven we lost grandma’s house and began to move around all over. When I was twelve, my grandmother died from being in a moldy house that we were renting. My mother moved to the country with her boyfriend and I followed shortly after. In school I was smart, but moving around everywhere was costly. I lost credit for a lot of hard work simply because the schools were on two different schedules. After living with my mom’s drunken boyfriend and having her cry to me when he hit her, I dropped out of school to get a job in construction. I was able to make enough for us to scrape by and barely pay bills.
I married my high school sweetheart about a year ago. I had hoped that we would make a wonderful life together, but it’s proven to be very difficult. She did graduate and attend college; however, she did not finish her Bachelors degree. She has a little more than half a semester left, but we ran into some tax problems and she has not been able to go back and finish. Now she owes 6,000 in college dept and I owe thousands in back taxes. She has eyesight problems (coloboma) and can’t drive herself. She works with her mom cleaning houses and babysitting. I dream about being rich and successful, and making all our financial problems go away. I don’t see how that’s going to happen with all of our problems. I want to go to college and get a degree, but I need help getting on my feet. Please help me and my family realize our dreams of financial freedom.
America is one of the most charitable nations on earth, with lots of people that have been financially blessed. I read that there are 7.5 million millionaires in America, and I hope someone reading this is one of them. Please change my life forever with a big donation. I dream of being successful and using my money to help others who need it. I want to make a difference for good in this troubled world, but it’s hard to do when you can’t even help yourself. I will use any money I get from online to pay taxes and get into college.

If you have a collage degree, house, bank account, good car, and a job: you have more than me. I have none of these things. I have no diploma. I had to get help to pay for a GED just recently, wish me luck on the test. I rent a single wide trailer that had mold problems and made my family sick. We are better now. The landlord ripped the shower and floors out and replaced everything. I fear the mold coming back and making us sick again. I’m 26 and have no bank account, I tried to have one when I was younger but couldn’t keep any money in it because of how little I made in construction. My car doesn’t go into reverse and slips in first gear sometimes. I have no job because I was laid off three months ago when the job ended. I’ve been looking for jobs and filling out applications around my small town but no one will call me back.
Let me tell you more about myself. I was two years old when my father was shot and killed in the big city. I grew up on welfare with my mother and grandmother. When I was seven we lost grandma’s house and began to move around all over. When I was twelve, my grandmother died from being in a moldy house that we were renting. My mother moved to the country with her boyfriend and I followed shortly after. In school I was smart, but moving around everywhere was costly. I lost credit for a lot of hard work simply because the schools were on two different schedules. After living with my mom’s drunken boyfriend and having her cry to me when he hit her, I dropped out of school to get a job in construction. I was able to make enough for us to scrape by and barely pay bills.
I married my high school sweetheart about a year ago. I had hoped that we would make a wonderful life together, but it’s proven to be very difficult. She did graduate and attend college; however, she did not finish her Bachelors degree. She has a little more than half a semester left, but we ran into some tax problems and she has not been able to go back and finish. Now she owes 6,000 in college dept and I owe thousands in back taxes. She has eyesight problems (coloboma) and can’t drive herself. She works with her mom cleaning houses and babysitting. I dream about being rich and successful, and making all our financial problems go away. I don’t see how that’s going to happen with all of our problems. I want to go to college and get a degree, but I need help getting on my feet. Please help me and my family realize our dreams of financial freedom.
America is one of the most charitable nations on earth, with lots of people that have been financially blessed. I read that there are 7.5 million millionaires in America, and I hope someone reading this is one of them. Please change my life forever with a big donation. I dream of being successful and using my money to help others who need it. I want to make a difference for good in this troubled world, but it’s hard to do when you can’t even help yourself. I will use any money I get from online to pay taxes and get into college.

Hello, my name is kimberly and i dont know where else to turn so i am posting on this website. I am a survivor of the joplin may 22nd tornado. I was working at walmart when we got a code black and we all went to the back of the store. We were all joking around not really thinking much about it. We never thought walmart would get hit. My brother called me and told me that there was a tornado in joplin and that it was big and not to panic. I still didnt think walmart could get taken down, we were in a busy populated area in the middle of the city. The power went off and i told my brother i had to get off the phone. It got pretty loud and sumone yelled that it was here. I looked up and seen the roof getting ripped off. Everyone then screamed and we got down on our knees and prayed. All i could do is pray to see my little boys again and my husband and the rest of my family. The winds were so fast and i was getting hit with all sorts of things and something was on my back and was very heavy and something hit me in the head. It got quiet and people thought it was over and i was yelling at everyone to stay down for a little while to ensure it was over. After about 5 minutes we got hit with the end of the tornado and was just holding on to whatever i could and telling everyone that i loved them, even if i didnt know them. We were very crammed together as some people were on top of each and there was zero moving room and we were getting heavily rained on and hailed on. I found a small hole to put my hand through so that hopefully someone would see it and help us out. After about 30 min sumone was able to help get me out and i started helping others get out as there were many injured and many children. I started ripping open blankets to give to people because we were all soaked, filthy and freezing. Once i finally got out of the store and to the parking lot, i was in shock. Everyones cars were on top of each other and crushed. And i looked around and everything was flattened for miles. I dont know how any of us survived because walmart was totaled where we were. I have dealt with alot of anxiety since then and am dreading spring this year. I would really like to raise money for a shelter to have peace of mind and to ensure my kids safety. I never want my familys safety. Going through this tornado has made me realize how important things are in life and to have fun with my family and to appreciate life. I am going back to school andd my car just broke down and we think its the cadillac converter which i cant afford. I also want to help my dad out. He is disabled and raising my 3 teenage brothers. He is hurting financially as well and i love to help him when i can. I have a new found look on life now and love my kids so much and im so happy i was able to go home to them. There were many people that didnt make it that day and that easily could have been me. There are many heros from that frightful day. I dont like asking for help but i didnt know where else to go. I appreciate the people that help out people like me. You are wonderful people and god bless. Anything at all would help me out at this time. Thank you for taking time to listen to my story and thank you for donating. You are amazing and cherish those you love because you never know what could happen. Thank you!

It all started 5 years ago on June 17, 2006. . .a day I will remember for the rest of my life. It was the day before Fathers Day and we were driving with our 14 month old son to his grandmothers house when and SUV ran a stop sign slamming into us causing our vehicle to roll landing upside down. They say my fiance (my sons father) was partially ejected and killed instantly.

He didn't have life insurance, and since we were only engaged, there were no survivors benefits and so it was just me, my 14 month old, two dogs, and an old house built in 1927 and a laundry list of repairs that needed to be done.

After my fiance died, I think a part of me just shut down. There was so much to deal with. . .working full time, being a single parent with no support. All my family lives 6 hours away, and my fiances family never wanted anything to do with us and after the accident all communication stopped and I was alone.

So, I shut the doors to the upstairs of our two bedroom Cape Cod, and made my bed on the Living Room couch so that I could rock my son in his bouncy chair everytime he woke at night. . .on average 4 times a night.

I did the best I could over the years. During all this my Dad was a huge emotional support for me. We talked every day, he encouraged me to stay strong and I did the same for him (he was diagnosed with milodisplastic syndrome in 2005)his blood transfusions really took a toll on him and his physical weakness really depressed him. I know he worried about me alot because I would always call him for advise on how to fix things or ask him questions about car stuff. He was my rock and he died October 4, 2008 from complications with pneumonia. He was buried on his birthday October 8 when he would have been 56.

His death is still hard to handle. My rock my best friend and advisor was gone and now I realized I was truly alone. Not only did I not have anyone to help me with my son, or with the house or the car, but now I didn't have anyone I could really talk to that could just listen and be my guide.

All this happened so suddenly. My now 3 year old son and I stayed up North for a week after my Fathers death. There was a lot of planning and funeral arrangements to be made that during the midst of all this, 6 hours away in my little Cape Cod were the two dogs. . .Joe, a shepard and chow mix, and Rex, a shepard and Rotti mix left to their own devices. All I could do was pray that the damage wouldn't be too terrible.

I tried calling a neighbor to check on the dogs, but in our unexplained absence the dogs became extremely protective of the house and wouldn't let anyone it.

When we finally came home, there was definately a mess. I had to rip up all the carpet by myself the stench was horrible and the dust and dirt under the padding from 10 year old carpet caused more than one sinus infection. After a month I had all the carpet ripped up and have not been able to replace it.

After working and saving and with help from my Mom, in 2009 I was able to hire a Contractor that had been highly recommended to me by a friend of mine. He raved about how great they were and what a good job they did for him. We had a contract for about $19,000. This was to replace all the windows, replace the kitchen cabinets, new countertop, appliances, paint, everything the house needed after being neglected for over 10 years. So they came and painted and left. Six months later they came back with 5 of the 13 windows, installed the windows, but left the casements on the inside open and torn leaving exposed the Lead Paint and the original wood framing. Then in August 2009, they had the kitchen cabinets delivered to my house and they were stored outside on the porch. I called and called to find out when they would be put in, and no response. They stayed outside through the Fall and through the winter when we got three feet of snow and I called and begged and sent text messages and one day their phone number was disconnected. Then in June 2010 they called me!! They would come install the cabinets. So they came and tore out the stove and the kitchen sink and installed the cabinets and put a slab on granite down so I could have a work area and said they would be back with the stove and dishwasher and sink. They never came back. So I had kitchen cabinets and no stove, no sink, no dishwasher. Then in July, Rex, the Rotti Shepard mix got really sick. The vet said he was starting kidney failure. They kept him and did IV treatment and got his kidneys functioning and they said he need a bland diet of boiled chicken and rice. I had no stove. I tried calling the contractors I yelled, I begged, I sent text messages and finally out of desparation I went and bought the cheapest stove I could just to be able to boil water for my dog.

The dog survived, but his survival was short lived. In October 2010 on the anniversary of my Fathers death, I had to put the dog to sleep. He was suffering from the samething my father had. He couldn't produce red blood cells anymore and would have to live off of blood transfusions. One of the hardest choices I've ever made.

Now here we are in 2011. Memorial Day I almost lost my now 6 year old son in a near drowning incident at a friends pool. Thank God the husband knew CPR and was able to revive him. He stayed overnight in ICU for monitoring but he is now a happy healthy 1st grader.

Me. . .I'm barely keeping it together. I can't afford to take care of my home. The carpet was never replaced and there is a horrible draft in the Winter and the Lead Paint is still exposed. The upstairs windows are leaking and there are water spots on the ceiling. There is a 4" crack in the basement foundation wall that goes all the way down the wall and across the basement floor to the other side of the house. I was told that the footing is slipping and that it was only a matter of time before the house caved. The gutters are falling off the house from age and the deck rails are falling off. I fear for our safety, but mostly, I'm afraid for my son. I want to give him a safe and healthy environment, but I need help.

Please, if there is anyone out there that can help us, I would be eternally grateful. In the meantime, I will keep praying and belive that everything happens for a reason.

After leaving catering college at the age of just 20, I embarked on my career, but it was taken away along with my life just a few months later, ( im now 55 ) during college my dad died of cancer, it had been my turn to watch over him that night, I was just 15 years old, and I awoke to find that he had died during the night, his hand had locked on to mine whelst I had been a sleep, and I had to have it removed by my big sister, I cannot forget this it broke my heart,my dad was just 47 when he died, it affected me for the rest of my life.

It also profundley changed my mothers demeaner, it changed her, and I was last to leave the family home, and it was so hard.

To make matters worse only a few years ago my mother passed on, and I was away dealing with my own medical problem at the time and missed her passing on, I wanted to say goodbye, it haunts me to this day, that my parents left this world in such a manner.

I am in my late 50s now, back in the early 70s, I was a passenger in a friends car, he pulled out into the path of another car, onto a fast piece of road, and our car was hit at over 90 miles an hour. My seat belt broke with the impact, and I was thrown through the cars windscreen. I, landed on the tarmac and next the car I had been in was bulldozed over my body.

It bulldozed the other car on to my neck and chest, trapping me under it. My arms were pinned to my chest by the cars sill, and my neck was bent up against a cold granite wall, my right leg was wrapped around the back axle. I was ready to die, but held on to life with every passing breath, god must have been watching over me that night.

It took the fire crew an hour to cut me out, then it was off to the hospital, on arrival all my clothes were cut from my body, on examination it was found that my right leg was near on severed from the knee, and was hanging on by a thread of my skin.

In addition I had 4 broken ribs, severe cuts and bruises everywhere and a small spilt in my skull, this skull spilt was not significant at the time, but would go on to ruin my entire life. My mouth was full of broken windscreen glass and I was vomiting blood because of it. Back in the 70s there was no MRI scanner so I was just given an X ray of my head.

Because my leg was the main problem the little split in my skull was just left then as being nothing, but it would play a big part in my life. After being cleaned up and admitted to the ward, I settled back to a 12 week stay, and Around the 3 week mark of being in hospital, the surgeon said there was now no chance of me being able to walk again on my right leg.

I broke down in tears, cried a river and could not understand why me. During my stay in hospital my boss came in and told me he could no longer keep my position open for me. This was devastating for me, I had worked so hard at college to be a chef, and had climbed my way up the ranks to be a chef in charge.

And was now at the age of just 20 cooking in a world famous Hotel, and it was my life, I had left school only 5 years beofre the accident, and had studied at college to be a chef, now because of this crash my career was finished in one hit, my employer had spoken to the drs, who had said working in a kitchen enviroment would be to dangerous for me, so my career was over right there right then.

I now lay in the bed stunned and deeply hurt that because of this accident, I had now lost everything at the age of just twenty!. Then one day I noticed some feeling in my right legs big toe, I screamed for the nurse, and she brought along a Dr.
Over the coming weeks I fully regained the use of my right leg. Of course I thought everything was going to be alright, but from the day I left hospital some 35 years ago now to this day, I have suffered so much.

You see the knock on the head I had during the car crash, damaged the cerebellum part of my brain, a part called the cerebellum tonsil. The severe knock to my head caused the tonsil, to drop out of the cerebellum part of my brain a few mm. And for the last 35 years this part of my brain as been dropping slowley a few mm each year towards my brain stem.

The affect it as is to disturb the cerebral spinal fluid that goes around my brain. The tonsil dangles into a space where it should not be, disrupting the flow of csf, which in turns gives me a wide range of medical disorders.

I suffer with ringing sounds in both my ears every day, 7 days a week, I have headaches daily, coupled with dizziness sickness, and pain in spine and neck, some days i cant feel my legs or walk on them, some days my arms dont work, my balance is hopeless, I cant sleep for severe pain, I cry all the time in private because of the situation I have been in these last 35 years.

To look at me I look like any normal kinda guy but life as been so tough these last 35 years.
The brain surgeons that I have seen have told me that to operate as a 75% chance of death for me, so they prefer me to live with the disabilities until such a time when I become in risk of death, and then they will operate on me seeing theres no other option, this means I live with countless medical conditions all of which I have had to live with for 35 years.

These medical conditions have made my life a living hell, for 35 years ive been dizzy off balance, severe headaces, and forced to go to bed every night knowing that I could die at any given time.
I lay in bed with symptoms of my brain damage rushing all over my body, trying to think positive for 35 years, im now 55, and wish so very very much that I could have given my wife and children a proper home to live in, one we owned, in a nice area, and not to have had to rely on handouts from the goverment merely to excist.

I cry, ive cried oceans of tears in despair in private, while Ive tried to work a way out of this hell for my family and me,but of course my disabilies dont allow me to get a break, so just had to live it for 35 years, ive never stopped trying, but ive made my illness well worse, and just cant do it anymore.

I was a young man of just 20 years old, and my whole life and anyone who would be with me, had changed in the blink of an eye. We got no compensation back when I was 20, and I was a passenger!!! I got shafted by the insurance company, with no dad, and mum still grieving his death, I got ripped off by the othersides insurers. If I was able to just change one thing in my past, it would be to not except that lift in my friends car.

The worst thing about all of what happened to me is, that for the first 12 years after my accident none of the medical people we went to see knew what could be making me so very very ill, so it was hard to get any help at all, after 12 years of seeing hundreds of doctors, one of them finally!!! decided to allow me to have a full brain and spine MRI, but this same doctor had been writing in my medical records that I was a waste of time and that nothing would be found wrong with my brain.

He, had written in my medical notes that there would be no scan because it would be a waste of time, He then reluctently gave me a brain scan, and reported it has normal to my family doctor.
My wife then ordered up copies of my medical records from that doctors hospital, and we found that he had lied about my brain scan, the brain scan records stated that I had a very rare brain damage that would be caused by a trauma such as a car crash.

We can only think like our family doctor does, that the dr who had written my brain scan results to be normal, was trying to cover him self after years of writing in my medical record rubbish about me, and now seeing that I had a rare brain damage had tried to cover it up"!!!!.
I was so angry after the last 12 years of hell, and to now see that this showed that my brain had been damaged severely all those years before, and that I had been made to live in terror all those years that had just passed.

My family said we should get a solicitor to champion our case, and we did, but the one we chose was a bad one, who during our legal case was struck off for mishandling another bigger case, it was in all the newspapers, and when that solicitor was barred from practising, our case was left in such a state that no other solicitor would touch it.
We took my case to 3 other solicitors, all of which said that the 1st soliictor had ruined of chance of winning, and we were left to suffer.

All of these things have mede me so very very tired, plus heavy debt, all my medical symptoms to cope with, and tring to live on pennies, the goverment gives very small amounts to live on, it just about covers food rent and some of the other costs of life. My life, and others with me as been so hard since 20 years old, thes last 35 years feel like 200 years to my body and soul.

So many horrable things have happend to me, my whole life as been blighted from such a young age, ive tried, ive tried so hard, im tired now so very very tired,
As I write this, I find it hard to think, motavation is so hard, each day is full with pain, grief, despair, money truly is the only way we can feel a little better, but we cant get any, so its bills bills bills, we live, but we dont do any more than that.

Now its just me and my wife, who means everything to me, I want holidays and nice things in our home, but we live on pennies and are feeling the affects of what happened to myself 35 years ago. I want my wife to enjoy life the way we were ment too.

My wife helped me through every year and we have 3 wonderful children, these days its been tough trying to make a living owing to my disablement, in the early days of my children growing up, I tried with every part of my determination to make a good home for them, but we could only ever live in social housing, and it was so so hard growing up in some of the areas we had to live in.
As my health as gotten worse we took on debt to keep above water so to speak, benefits were no where enough to live on. my wife and I now owe £50,000 in loans and credit cards, all of which over the last 35 years as built up just to roof and feed our family, and pay ever increasingley high water electric and gas bills.

I have had my dignity taken at the age of just 20, 35 years ago, and have lived a hellish life of pain, and tearful memories of what I use to be. none of what happened to me was my doing, just a passenger in a car.
Any help that anyone out their can afford will help us to live a little bit better. Thanks in anticapation of anything you can afford to give, it will be used to make a better life for me and my wife thanks and good bless.

I am medically disabled, and am able to squeak by on regular monthly expenses. But I am living in a 'fixer-upper' that has not been fixed.

1/2 of my flooring is ripped up due to mold. I can't replace it, so cracked concrete is what I have to walk on. The rest of the carpet is disgusting from what the prior owners did to it.

I cannot move, as my mortgage is really low.

It costs 10K to renovate one of these 30+ year old units (condo) (800 sq. feet) not including things like the A/C (also needs replacing) and the stove.

In the 6 years I have lived here I have managed to save enough to replace the water heater when it rusted out, and the disposal for the same reason.

Otherwise, if this were a rental unit and I had a landlord, he'd be a 'slum lord' as these are not proper living conditions for me and my precious dog.

It's no secret, my closet is a disaster. Ten years ago, before my dad died, this was a project of ours we had started. The pole and shelf in my closet had fallen and the brackets had ripped out of the wall. It was our vision to take out the pole all together, that was clearly not going to work with all the weight of the clothes, and just redesign the inside of my closet where I had shelves going all the way up. I have a type of containers that I had my clothes in nice and neatly, one for shoes, and the rest of my stuff I keep in boxes. We had the idea that the shelves would be so much more convenient. Well, when my dad got sick with lung cancer, all of our ideas went on hold due to that he was just too sick. I have all my clothes in bags and just piled in my closet wherever they would fit. My request is simple, I need help with brackets to hold up shelves, and the shelves themselves. I will be more than happy with any help, the right size cut boards for shelves, sand paper, varnish, nails, a stud finder, any supplies I would be grateful to receive more than money to buy them with, but donations would be welcome. I added my PayPal. If you would like to help me with supplies, or if you are a builder who knows how I would measure or can suggest anything that could make my project a reality, I would appreciate any kind of help. This was something my dad and I started when he was alive. My heart would just like to see it completed. Thank you for reading.

Please Can you help, this is my story.
Where to begin, my life since I was born has been hell I was adopted at birth kicked out of home at 13 because I was pregnant and had to fiend for myself my son was taken off me from the government as I was too young but at 18 thought I had met the love of my life and had 3 beautiful daughters. That was the relationship from hell after 14 years of violence and beatings I fled with my 3 daughters back to where I came from and decided to start a new life and give my kids a better life. It was a real struggle on my own with no support the kids would go back to their father every holidays until one time they came back and one of my daughters was suicidal and then came the devastating news they had been abused by an uncle from the age of 4 years old to 13, it felt like my heart was ripped out what do I do now. Well I did what was right called the authorities and he was jailed for life and has since died in prison, but the devastation it had on my kids was horrific. They dropped out of school, got in trouble with the police, did drugs, burglaries etc and I had to deal with it all on my own they just got so angry. Since then they have settled down as they have children my oldest is 26 with a 5 year old son she lost her daughter at birth that was another tragedy she still can’t sleep and has nightmares. My youngest has a 3 year old daughter and she gets scared to be alone and my middle daughter the one who was suicidal is 24 with 5 kids under 5 she suffers with bi polar disorder and depends on me 24 7. She has just moved down the road from me so I can have a bit of time but we rotate the kids and she is on my doorstep most of the time. She still gets weary of people and needs me around and has a mean anger problem so I still have to be there for all of them. Anyway my mum felt sorry for us and about 10 years ago helped us buy a cheap home she is 80 years old but about 2 years ago the kids all moved out and left me with the mortgage and I couldn’t afford it. My mum nearly lost her home so to save it I lost mine and my truck and now I am on a benefit renting a house with 40 dollars left a week for food power and petrol which is not happening, I am struggling so bad. In spite of all that I suffer depression and asthma and I am hugely over weight due to diabetes with low insulin and after so many diets because of this cant lose weight. I am so scared I had a mild heart attack about 3 months ago and I want to be around to see my grandchildren grow up and give them what I couldn’t have. My doctor told me I need that operation where they shrink your stomach but that is 30 000 dollars, I cant even raise 10 dollars if I needed it, I don’t know what to do I have bailiffs and bills coming out of my eyeballs plus my health. Please can someone help me this is just a brief story I could practically write a whole book of my life but every cent would help. I just want to enjoy the next few years I have with my grandkids and be happy. I have a PayPal account and my e mail address is Carolk@slingshot.co.nz. May God Bless whoever may read this Thanks.

Me and my fiance are at wits end on how we are going to make it. We want so desperately to get back to where he was born and raised in Ellenville N.Y. and we are stuck here in Kentucky. We moved from about 100 miles away so I could care for my father and he passed away be 2 years in Sept. We have lost our water AGAIN they cut it off last week and my fiance can't find any work here ,, he does construction and its not happening here. We have no car and he walks everywhere to look for any type of work just to get by and he has been ripped off by this whole town as he never charges what the big wigs do to fix a home.. We go out of our way to help others even when we have nothing and Im so scared we are going to loose our apartment(which is an old funeral home and we are the only ones here)We have been scrapping metal and junk the last week just to feed ourselves and get by. I just want to get to where he use to live so we can get back on our feet and make it on our own. I hate asking anyone for help but I am at the point of giving up on everything as its just not working out. We try so hard to get ahead and we get slapped back 20 feet and cant get back up. right now we are going to loose our Electric come Monday morning if we cant come up with the other 147.67.. I worked with a neighbor other day helping her plant her flower beds and cleaned her home and my fiance went and done an odd job plus walked gathering aluminum cans to turn in and we was able to give them 120.00 of it but they only gave us till Monday for the rest of it. Not to mention not having food but got up this morning and someone left a box of food on our step that will get us by for a few days and am so greatful ..I have been to every place in this town to get help and no one is willing to do anything. I do not know what this world is coming to when no one will extend a hand . and right now if someone came to me and needed something I did have I would give it up as I feel there are others who need it more then I do.. I just keep praying for a Miracle and It never happens no matter how hard we try.I do not understand why there are people in this town that goes out and cons people and charges an outrageous price to do things and they are running around with their heads in a cloud and having everything when we try and try and we just get farther behind. I know It sounds like I'm complaining but I just want to live normal without so may worries and to get out of this town that keeps dragging us farther down in the homeless pit..is there any help to be found.We want to save enough to make the move as he has work waiting for him there and its over a 1000 miles away to get there plus have to have enough to at least get us a cheap effenciency for a week or so till the money starts to happen as I do not care if I have to live in a homeless shelter to get on our feet when we get there.. It's just managing the money to make it there..I will not give up hope and faith as I pray to God everyday to at least bless us to be able to make it through 1 more day. I have family here but well like alot of families they have just turned their backs and won't do anything to help but I was there to help them when they needed a sitter or someone to do things they couldnt or my fiance redone their places for basically nothing in return as that is how we are.. to make a long story short almost 4 yrs ago me and my fiance built a deck on the front of my parents home and it was for my dad to be able to sit outside in his wheel chair to enjoy the weather instead of sitting inside and wasting away and it was a 20 ft by 28 foot under roof with rails and steps and an extra pole rail for my dad to hold onto to walk the deck for exercise and done with all deck wood and its really nice and we got a total of 330 bucks for all that but we didnt complain as it was from our hearts to my dad as I am a daddy's girl and even though he is now a beautiful Angel I am still a daddys girl..we also put siding on their house which was stucco house so it all had to be drilled in with plastic inserts and we done it the way my dad always wanted it to look and I would have done anything for my daddy as he would do anything for me I was his baby girl but again we done it out of the kidness of our hearts and love for hi, .. there is alot more to add from and about other family members that saved them BUNDLES but can't even help with a meal now.. but I will not hold a grudge or judge them as its not my place to and they will be judged in the end and that is when it counts the most..but I keep praying to the Good Lord that one day there will be a way for all we need to happen! Hope is running thin though and to the point of just tossing life in and ending it all..and I know that is the wrong way to think but sometimes your mind and heart gets tired and weary and just wants to give up but I will fight till the end to reach our goals of making it to NY.. I really hate to ask and beg but I do not know anything else I can do except keep doing what I am doing and also ask for some help.. I hope all who is needing help will recieve the help they need and I pray for many many Blessings to come your way.. God Bless...

I apologize for the double post.
This seems to be my last resort, since I never imagined I would ever be in the situation I am now. Losing my family is very close to being a real conclusion, and a low point in my life.

The story began with a job loss. I began to realize that with my health failing, the job I had was something I could no longer do. To keep us afloat, our landlords were kind to us and they agreed to help out with the rent. Bills would slip, and we can no longer do things we wanted to, but at least we had a roof over our heads. Our family, which consisted of me, my two young daughters, and my wife, who is disabled, would still have access to medication or food. Sometimes, the issue would get dire, since my wife is in the hospital for days or weeks at a time. Somehow, I managed to take care of the girls during that time.

But things went from bad to worse as one of my daughters were going in and out of the hospital herself for several issues, ranging from digestive disorders to problems with her heart. I'm a grown man, and it takes a lot for me to get so emotional, but it ripped my heart out for my daughter to say how thirsty she was when she wasn't allowed to drink for very long periods of time.

With the economic turmoil, we have considered moving to a cheaper place, me taking several jobs, and somehow taking care of the girls, my wife, and myself, never mind the piling hospital and utility bills. But it can only get worse: Our daughters can be removed from us. And that's something I don't want to happen.

I'm not standing still here. I'm doing everything I can, even with my own failing health. But I know I can only do so much. I don't have a family to speak of to help, and her family is not willing to even take the girls. Once again, I never imagined I would ever be in the position, so anything you can assist me and my family with is so appreciated. If I ever do get through this, I will do everything in my ability to pay it forward. I thank you, & my wife and daughters thank you.

NW-COLUMBUS, OH

I am a 27 year old woman who has been hopelessly stuck in an unbearably abusive relationship for 6 years now.

I was only 21 when I met my husband. I was a college student struggling to make ends meet on my own. Ive never had much in the way of familial support, my mother is an abusive alcoholic and my father left when I was 8. Therefore I held a full time job the entire time I was in school. It was a big accomplishment for me, but it was rough.

When my husband came along he seemed like the perfect guy. He was wonderful, funny, sweet, generous, smart, kind, he was easy to fall in love with. After only a few months we moved in together and he proposed on our one year anniversary. I put school on hold and quit my job to help him get his business off the ground, thinking, at the time since his earning potential was so much higher than mine, that it just made sense for us as a couple and a team.

It didn't take long though for him to change. He quickly became distant, depressed, violent and moody for no apparent reason. He began drinking in excess and popping pills frequently, lashing out at me over nothing, lying, hiding things and cheating. My happily ever after was now a living hell! Every time Id get fed up enough to leave he'd cry, apologize very sincerely and beg me to stay, promising he would change and admitting how wrong it was for him to treat me that way. When that stopped working he started trying to bully and control me, threatening me, emotionally manipulating me and being physically aggressive & abusive with me. My husband is 7 years my elder so at first I suppose I was naive and easy to manipulate...Because I believed him and loved him I stayed.

But by year three I had, had it with the abuse and no longer believed him when he promised to change, I now knew better. Unfortunately I didnt have a parent or family member I could go to for help. Therefore my options were to either be homeless or to stay with him until I was financially able to be on my own. So I decided to make a plan to leave him. I had worked on and off in the Real Estate industry since my college years and so I went out and got an entry level job in that field and opened up my own bank account so that I could put money aside to pay off my large amount of debts (over $45,000 in student loans, car, credit card, etc) and move out on my own.

It was hard putting money aside without him noticing, I could only use commission and bonus checks that he didnt know about to put in savings. After a year I had only managed to save just over $6000, which barely made a dent in my student loan debts, much less allowing me to pay off the others.

So I began searching for a better job. After about a dozen interviews I finally landed an assistant manager position in a leasing office at a property owned by the city that paid better and was more in line with my capabilities. The position required me to work in a very dangerous part of town. I was dealing with drug dealers, murders, and other various felons on a daily basis, having my life threatened and irate residents screaming in my face wasnt an abnormal occurrence! But I was so determined to get away from my husband that I stuck it out. In just under a year I was promoted to Property Manager after the previous one had quit. I was elated! Finally I would be making enough to get my own place. I worked from 9am to 9pm most days since we were understaffed. I never went home until everything was taken care of. I gave 200%, going above and beyond to make my property the best it could be. I often received compliments from my superiors and the owner of the company on my job performance as well.

However before I was able to move out, things took a terrible turn. About four months into my new position, the company had hired a new person to be my superior. Unfortunately for me this person, now being in a new position of power, decided that they wanted to give all their friends from their previous company jobs. Since there were no openings available they decided to terminate current employees in order to make positions for their friends. I was one of those people! I remember the day so vividly in my head, being told they were letting me go. I just kept asking why? Id never once done anything wrong, I got complimented on my work performance frequently and even the residents who used to hate me, now loved me! My new boss and the companys owner agreed, Id done nothing wrong and offered me severance pay. But I didnt need severance pay, I needed a job! I was devastated. I had come SO close I could taste it, just to have it all ripped away like a cruel joke of fate. I nearly had a nervous breakdown. The thought of having to start over again with a new company from square one, the thought of staying with my husband another day was unbearable. I couldnt understand why this was happening to me, Id worked SO hard and after more than 2 years, gotten no closer to getting away from him.

I tried to find a replacement job with equal pay right away with no luck. By now the economy was very bad and good job offers were few and far between. Employers could afford to be picky, and people with three times my experience were applying for the same jobs. I decided to meet with an employment lawyer to see what options I had about my situation with my previous employer. He agreed my termination was wrongful and thought I had a solid case, to at the very least, get a larger severance. But he also informed me that while I had been wrongfully terminated, in the state of Ohio, employment is at will and therefore employers are allowed to fire you for no reason, as long as they dont discriminate against you! He preceeded with legal action confident that they would agree to work something more reasonalbe out, but things did not go as hoped.

So here I am. Six years into an abusive relationship that Ive been trying to escape for three! Ive now been unemployed for 8 months. Aside from the bad economy, the fact that I have taken legal against an employer and no reference from that employer due to filing a complaint against them, has made me practically un-hirable in my field. Ive tried interviewing for other jobs, but I either dont have the experience or they dont pay even half of what Id need to take care of myself. Ive thought about going back to school, but, again money becomes an issue. Ive done the math and I simply cant afford it. Ive spoken with divorce lawyers and since I have no children and have worked during my marriage, a divorce wont render anything in the way of financial support.

Ive exhausted every option I can think of and need help desperately!!! At this point my life is like walking a tight rope, trying not to do anything or say anything to set him off. Even so, his volitle moods and angry outburst are a daily occurrence. Im terrified and feel very hopeless. Ive had to spend almost everything I was able to save while employed, since being unemployed and am now down to almost nothing. I cant get welfare or go to an abused womens shelter because I have no children. I have nowhere to go and no one who can help me. I dont want to be homeless, but I am afraid if I stay Im going to end up dead.

Ive never in my life asked anyone for a handout. Ive always had to be very independent and self reliant. Im a good person, and am the first to help others when they need it. I am smart, loyal, talented, trustworthy, compassionate and moral. And I dont deserve to be in this situation. Ive never been one to complain about my problems. I always thought, where theres a will, theres a way, and that if I worked hard enough I would get where I wanted to be. But Ive fought tooth and nail trying to get out of this hell Ive been trapped in for years now to no avail.

If anyone out there is in a position to help me, I would be eternally grateful. Unlike most other people, going home to live with mom & dad until I get back on feet just isnt an option for me. I NEED MONEY and I need it NOW. I either need a steady, stable job paying at least $60000 annually or enough money to support myself while I finish my college degree. My current debts (student loans, car, credit card & medical bills) total just under $40000!!! I pay $1800 cumulatively toward these debts alone per month. Add in a VERY modest budget of $2500 for the cost of living (rent, utilities, phone, food, gas, toiletries and other necessities like car maintenance, insurance, dog care expenses, etc) and I absolutely cannot live on less than $60000 annually, and even that will be very tight, considering how much taxes get taken out.

Ideally I would love to work with animals, and given the time and money I would love to go into Veterinary Medicine one day. Im also very interested in holistic health, both for animals and people, specifically, holistic nutrition, herbal medicine and holistic treatment of illness, afflictions and diseases. I dont have any job experience in these fields, but I am very knowledgeable in them through my own experiences and research. And I have a love of animals that would be hard to surpass. Im a very eager and fast learner. I have tons of experience doing just about everything office related; Im good with computers and different types of software and have experience managing a small staff. I have great leadership skills, am very organized and give much attention to details. I am a night person by nature, so early morning jobs can be difficult for me if there is a hard start time. I work best in less rigid environments, with more flexible hours. Please dont get the wrong impression however! I am a very diligent and reliable worker, and will always do my job efficiently. I have so much to offer and could be doing so much more with my life if given the chance.

Any job opportunities or cash donations would be greatly appreciated! Please help me to finally break free of this misery Ive been living in. I could never thank you enough!

Sincerely,
Linda

When I got pregnant with my first son I weighed about 100 pounds. He weighed 10 pounds at birth and of course the weight I gained ripped my small body to shreads with strech marks and streched skin. I had 2 more children that didn't do near the damage of the first. I had 3 c-sections that didn't help my cause. I am a 31 year old stay at home mother to my 3 children and the wife of a career fireman. I live with back pain from the skin that hangs from my abdomen. Insurance will not cover a tummy tuck as they deem it cosmetic. I saw a plastic surgeon and he said there could easily be 5-10 pounds of skin....not fat...removed from my tummy. I weigh about 125 pounds and am 5' 3" so I am not fat. I excersise regularly and there is no way to tone stretched out skin. I know this is a long shot and there are much more needy causes but if you have ever had to carry this extra baggage around you would understand. If you would like pictures of what my stomach looks like I will provide them gladly. I wouldn't object to payment being made to my surgeon to ensure the funds wouldn't be spent other wise. This is my dream....to be normal again. My email is mistyisablonde@gmail.com.

This seems to be my last resort, since I never imagined I would ever be in the situation I am now. Losing my family is very close to being a real conclusion, and a low point in my life.

The story began with a job loss. I began to realize that with my health failing, the job I had was something I could no longer do. To keep us afloat, our landlords were kind to us and they agreed to help out with the rent. Bills would slip, and we can no longer do things we wanted to, but at least we had a roof over our heads. Our family, which consisted of me, my two young daughters, and my wife, who is disabled, would still have access to medication or food. Sometimes, the issue would get dire, since my wife is in the hospital for days or weeks at a time. Somehow, I managed to take care of the girls during that time.

But things went from sort of bad to worse as one of my daughters were going in and out of the hospital herself for several issues, ranging from digestive disorders to problems with her heart. I'm a grown man, and it takes a lot for me to get so emotional, but it ripped my heart out for my daughter to say how thirsty she was when she wasn't allowed to drink for very long periods of time.

With the economic turmoil, we have considered moving to a cheaper place, me taking several jobs, and somehow taking care of the girls, my wife, and myself, never mind the piling hospital and utility bills. But it can only get worse: Our daughters can be removed from us. And that's something I don't want to happen.

I'm not standing still here. I'm doing everything I can, even with my own failing health. But I know I can only do so much. I don't have a family to speak of to help, and her family is not willing to even take the girls. Once again, I never imagined I would ever be in the position, so anything you can assist me and my family with is so appreciated. If I ever do get through this, I will do everything in my ability to pay it forward. I thank you, & my wife and daughters thank you.