Our Story

Hello everyone,

My name is Tonya and my husband and I are reaching out with heavy hearts and a sincere need for help. We’ve been married for 30 years and have always worked hard for everything we have, but a series of lifelong struggles followed by catastrophic events has left us in a desperate situation, struggling to keep a roof over our heads.

Life has tested our strength repeatedly. We have always been strong and try our best to stay positive no matter what life throws at us but to be honest I am not sure how much more I can handle. Let me tell you a little bit about who I am and what has brought me here to ask for help.

My husband and i married in 1995 when we were just teenagers but to everyones surpise here we are side by side 30 years later but its not all been tears of joy its had its share of tears of sorrow as well.  In 1996, we suffered the unimaginable loss of our six-month-old daughter Haleigh to SIDS. A few years later, in Febuary of 1999, I was in a very bad car wreck coming home from work that broke many bones, leaving me bedbound and in a wheelchair for 18 months as I learned to walk again. Through the years, I have faced countless surgeries—two knee replacements, four hip replacements, thirteen hip dislocations, surgeries on both hands and a foot, and rotator cuff surgeries on both shoulders, not to mention a near-fatal blood clot that traveled to my chest. All while still trying to continue working.

Amid these health battles, we faced more heartbreak, losing my father to cancer in 2001. In 2011, we tragically lost another child,  our 18-year-old son Cody, was killed by a drunk driver. Shortly after that, my mom was diagnosed with small cell lung cancer, and we lost her, too.

The Recent Disasters

As you can see we are a resilient family, used to fighting through adversity, afterall life is a gift and what dont kill us makes us stronger right?  But the last year has pushed us past our limits and I can no longer find that strength.

In October 2023, just days before I was scheduled for my fourth hip replacement surgery (following eight dislocations in ten days and being bed riddenonce again), our home tragically caught fire. We lost everything. When I was discharged from the hospital, we had no choice but to live in our garage.

We worked tirelessly to convert a 12x40 storage building into a modest home through a rent-to-own agreement which we still owe about 7,500 on. It may be small but it was our home.

Then, this past April, a federal disaster flood hit Kentucky, damaging that home. Once again we lost everything we had just struggled to replace after the fire. Because we had no flood insurance, we were completely exposed. Though I am grateful for the ($9,000) that FEMA provided in assistance for repairs that have been estimated at around $33,000, Which leaves a massive gap we cannot bridge. 

Our Immediate Challenges

Life has continued to throw us curveballs. My husband recently had surgery on his bicep and his rotator cuff but is still working against Doctors orders while still attending physical therapy. Everything Is beginning to fall apart and I'm fixing to loose everything.  The wages from work just havent been no where near enough to keep up especially with trying to recover from both the fire and the flood. We have pawned the titles to both our vehicles, sold or pawned anything of value that was not lost to the flood  just to try and stay afloat, but we cant. We've been denied bank loans and SBA disaster loans due to existing school loans, tried credit unions and finance company's, even applied for credit cards but all have been a dead end. 

• Our checking account is $1,600 overdrawn.
• The RTO company has given us 10 days to catch up on our payment ($1,200) for the storage building that we turned into a home or they are coming to take it.
• We are almost 2 months behind ($800) on our payment for the property that it sits on which we will loose if not paid by December 15th
• Our electricity ($568.00) is due for disconnect on December 6th
• Our auto insurance is now in its grace period and fixing to lapse.

How You Can Help

We are not looking for a handout; we are looking for a lifeline. We are not used to having to ask for help, usually we are on the other side. Reaching out to help others in need for emergencies, funerals, medical cost, childrens Christmas and to feed the hungry. But the table has turned and I need all the help I can get. We work hard every day, we don't blow money, we dont receive welfare, but we do try our best but simply cannot catch up after these disasters on our own.

If you can help I would be forever grateful If not then I understand that you too may be struggling as well and maybe one day I can help you.

Other Ways to Give (Beyond Money):

We understand that sending money isn't always feasible and that's ok  If you prefer to help directly or in other ways, you can:

• Donate supplies: We need building materials for the flood repairs like subfloooring plywood, top flooring, insulation ext.
• Pay a bill directly: We can provide account information for the electric company, RTO company, property deed holder, insurance company or bank for you to make a payment on our behalf.
• Offer a loan If comfortable, we are open to a private, structured loan agreement.
• Offer Advice you have a suggestion or know any other means to help us out we will gladly listen

We appreciate any help you can offer as we fight to get back on our feet. Thank you for reading our story.