I’m writing this for one of my best friends, and if you know her, you know how hard it is for her to even let someone else say all this out loud.
She’s a single mom to an incredible 15-year-old daughter, and if there’s one thing I can tell you, it’s that she has never stopped fighting to build a stable, loving life for her child. Life hasn’t always been easy on her, but she’s always found a way to keep going, to keep her home together, and to keep showing up.
Last year, in February 2025, she went through a major surgery that kept her out of work for 4–5 months. Because of complications from diabetes, she had to have two toes amputated on her right foot due to a bone infection. On top of that, there were issues with her short-term disability payments, but somehow, she still pushed through. That’s just who she is. Strong, determined, and grateful even in the hardest moments.
And when she got back on her feet, she didn’t slow down.  She leveled up. She started a small baking business, something she truly loves, and things were finally starting to look up again. She’s never been the type to sit still or give up on herself.
But now, here we are again.
This year, she started having issues with her left foot. Last Thursday (3/19/26), she had another surgery where they had to shave down the bone, and now she’s out of work again for at least a month. Just when things were getting better.
Right now, she’s not only dealing with lost income (since short-term disability doesn’t kick in until after the first 7 days), but she’s also had to make the incredibly hard decision to be away from her daughter. They live upstairs, so during recovery she must stay with family, while her daughter stays home with their roommate helping take care of things.
And through all of this, she’s still grateful.
She keeps saying how blessed she is to have the support of her family and friends, which are the same people who helped her get through last year, and who are stepping in again now. But I can tell you this that she’s exhausted. Not just physically, but emotionally too.
So, I’m asking, as her friend, if you’re able to help at all even just $1 it truly means more than you know. Every little bit helps her keep things afloat while she heals and gets back to doing what she does best: taking care of her daughter and building her life back up again.
She would never ask for this herself so I’m asking for her ❤️