I hope this letter finds you well. I am reaching out with a humble request, as a single mother fighting through the storm with three resilient children. Our journey has been an uphill battle, a relentless struggle against the shadows of an abusive past, compounded by health crises and financial woes that have pushed us to the brink.
In July 2018, we escaped an abusive living situation, beginning a journey to rebuild from the ground up. The journey has not been an easy one as we have been met with many obstacles along the way.
From 2018-2021, my son's asthma leading to numerous hospitalizations, adding to the complexity of our plight, especially since his first hospitalization for asthma was just 6 short months after his open heart surgery.
The past year-and-a-half especially has tested our strength, as in May 2022, while taking my children for a simple treat, I suffered a stroke, leading to hospitalization. Shortly after, I lost a job I held with a police department for almost four years due to restructuring, forcing us to uproot from our home and relocate. Despite finding new employment, the reduced pay only heightened our challenges.
Our hardships continued when shortly after we moved, I was told at a cardiology appointment that my youngest was also needing open heart surgery. Her surgery was January 2023 and that was immediately followed by another health setback – my having a ministroke on February 10, 2023, pushing me back into the hospital. Our landlady's decision to sell our house just months later added to the turmoil, forcing us to scramble for shelter once again.
Financially strained, we receive minimal support from the children's father, who is almost $12,000 behind in child support.
In an attempt to make ends meet, I had to utilize credit cards during my time out of work due to the strokes and my daughter's heart surgery, leaving me approximately $8,000 in debt with no clear path to recovery on my current income. While actively applying to additional jobs, my current employment allows me to be at home with the children, homeschooling them and eliminating the need for costly child care during breaks and before/after school.
In the face of these immense challenges, I am reaching out for your kindness and generosity this holiday season. A simple gift for my children would be a tremendous blessing, bringing joy to lives that have been filled with hardship.
Your generosity will not only make a difference but also remind us that even in the darkest times, compassionate individuals like yourself offer a glimmer of hope.
If you are willing to assist, let me know if there are specific items or preferences for gifts. My children understand the true meaning of Christmas – a season of giving, loving, and celebrating the birth of our Savior. While they have added wished-for items to their list, those items are not in any way the only thing that they would be appreciative of. If you feel called to give in a way other than a wishlist item, we all would still be so grateful.
Thank you for considering our request. Your support means more to us than words can express.
Wishing you a joyous holiday season filled with love, kindness, and God's abundant blessings.
Warm regards. ❤️
PS: We've included wish lists for your convenience, one that is a combined list and then individual lists, just for ease. Again, please do not think that the children expect all of these items, or that they even expect any of them. Anything would be a blessing.
https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/36JPGN9JVOC97?ref_=wl_share - Children's General Amazon Wishlist
https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/2DWESZX2WB94?ref_=wl_share - Gloria (11 year-old) individual wishlist
https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/1SVEIJ754W2OI?ref_=wl_share - Anchor (8 years-old) individual wishlist
https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/2JMW9FMCDYOB8?ref_=wl_share - Leanne (6 years-old) individual wishlist
https://www.walmart.com/lists/shared/WL/c74c975e-c02c-4851-bf23-e5b65d917f84 - Family Needs Wishlist