Help Lisa and Kenai Find Safety, Stability, and a Place to Begin Again

My name is Lisa O’Connor. Asking for help is difficult, but my youngest adult child, Kenai—and I are facing a crisis I cannot manage alone.

After leaving an abusive marriage, we are living day to day in the cheapest hotel I could find in Winchester, Virginia. The conditions are far from ideal, especially for someone with complex medical needs, but right now it is the shelter we can afford. Each day brings the same worry: How will we pay for another night while finding a way forward?

Leaving has not ended the financial fallout. My husband has stopped paying expenses we depended on, resulting in disconnections and the threatened loss of essential services. This reaches into nearly every part of our lives: phone service, car insurance, storage, office rent, and the business tools and software I use to operate Brainiac HR LLC. Losing access to those resources makes earning the income we need even harder.

We have rent paid until Wednesday, October 28th, then I'm not sure what next.

We also face an urgent deadline: Friday, October 30. Our belongings must be removed from the rooms we were renting, along with everything in my office. We need help with transportation, moving, and secure storage while trying to keep a roof over our heads.

Kenai's health makes this situation especially difficult. He lives with hypermobile Ehlers-Danlos syndrome, POTS and autonomic dysfunction, chronic migraines, peroneal neuropathy, severe venous pooling, chronic pain, and median arcuate ligament syndrome (MALS). He also experiences nonepileptic seizures and myoclonic jerks. His mobility limitations require aids including a walker and wheelchair. He cannot currently work or drive and has not received disability benefits. Not having his usual regiment of medication has made all his symptoms far worse.

Managing these conditions is already demanding. Doing so from a temporary hotel room, without stable housing or dependable resources, adds another layer of hardship. As his mother, I am doing everything I can to support him while struggling to regain my own footing.

My own health has also suffered. Alongside serious anemia and exhaustion, I am experiencing increased agoraphobia, severe anxiety, and CPTSD symptoms. Leaving the room, making calls, concentrating, and organizing the many steps needed to rebuild can feel overwhelming. I am still working toward recovery and keeping my business moving, but I need support to create enough stability for those efforts to take hold.

I built Brainiac HR to help small businesses support their people. I care deeply about my clients and the work I do. Right now, restoring access to my business resources is part of restoring our ability to support ourselves.

Donations will help us with:

Hotel costs and the transition toward stable housing.

Moving our belongings and office contents before October 30.

Secure storage to protect what we still have.

Food, gas, phone service, car insurance, and basic necessities.

Transportation to medical appointments.

Essential business software and services so I can continue earning income.

Any amount will help us take the next step. If donating is not possible, sharing this post—or connecting us with affordable accessible housing, moving assistance, or local resources—would mean so much.

We are trying to build a life where safety, medical needs, and basic necessities do not feel uncertain every morning. Your support would give us breathing room to recover, protect our belongings, and begin again.

Thank you for reading, for caring, and for helping us find our way forward.

With gratitude,
Lisa & Kenai