Friends and family, I come to you with a very humble request in probably the worst time of year for all of us. I'm looking to raise $1000 to survive the rest of this year. So many unexpected expenses the past two months coinciding with paying bills, medical co-pays, school expenses for the boys, and cancelled commissions has left me and my family high and dry for the holidays.

As many of you know, Scott, Alexei, and I lost our jobs at Joann when the company was liquidated in May. Alexei, opted to put his attention on finishing high school this year, and with it came the expenses for his cap, gown, class ring, and yearbooks I was not going to deny him. Scott has been working on job placements that will work with him and his vision issues, and with him his medical expenses like eye drops and his reflux medication. I decided to take some time off to heal because I was in rough shape with back issues and recovering from a blood clot in my lungs. I got unemployment for a bit and settled back into doing my art commissions while looking for a new job to accommodate daily needs. 

Fast forward to mid-October. I began having dizzy spells that feel like riding the tilt-o-whirl at the fair and heavy fatigue episodes out of no where that literally cause me to drop face first onto my desk at random times. Going to get checked out, I explained that I had been diagnosed with Vertigo years ago and thought it was simply returning. Turns out, this was not the case. The episodes got worse. One night while helping Scott with his Twitch stream, I blacked out. I sat up trying to just get my wits and the fatigue was so strong that the next morning, I went to get checked out further.

My diagnosis is Acute Syncope. Syncope is fainting in the simplest of terms, but it's basically lack of blood flow to the brain. Since that initial diagnosis, I have been in an out of the doctors and the ER when the episodes are too extreme. I have a family history of heart conditions, but there is nothing in my checks that indicate anything is wrong with my heart unfortunately so until something can be discovered as to what is causing it, I'm stuck in an endless loop of doctor visits, co-pays that have drained even my tiny business account just to keep my family afloat. Having just gotten the diagnosis, I am not eligible for any kind of disability help because it's less than a year since discovery. 

Many of you know, I HATE asking anyone for help for any reason, especially my own, but I've reached a point where I really have no choice. Job hunting has been a nightmare again, being that with this new condition, I'm not suppose to over exert myself at all on top of the fact I have to be flexible for medical appointments, transporting Jordyn to school every day because the “School Corporation” refuses to give him a bus when there is a stop less than a block away from our house because he is “out of district," and getting Scott to his meetings for his job placement initiatives. It's a lot and I have nothing else at this point to sustain us. Commissions and freelance work has been low for the past two months, but it's all I've got until something solid come along.

That being said, a basic breakdown of how the funds will be used.

-$400 to pay the rest of rent this month. Our landlord has been gracious enough to let us pay the rest in installments.

-$200 for gas and an overdue oil change to get back and forth for the rest of the month (Yes… my 2001 Jeep Grand Cherokee is a gas-guzzling piece of crap, but beggars can't be choosers right now. It gets us from point A to point B well enough. I can't put the oil change off any longer than I have already with it getting stupid cold here.)  It costs $50 a week (and that's if the traffic is steady) just to get Jordyn to and from school.

-$200 for medicine and co-pay expenses. I have a couple more appointments this month and a surprise trip to the dentist because I lost a tooth last week. (Yes, I look like an actual hockey player now and I hate it… no offense to any that I know.) I need implants to correct everything wrong with my mouth, but that isn't something I'm concerned with right now. These issues are more pressing.

-$200 to save Christmas for my boys. This is the hardest part of all. With everything going on, I had to sacrifice the money I was saving to give them the smallest Christmas they've had in years. I'm in the process of making gifts as well just so I'm sure they have something. I don't like letting my kids down so doing whatever I can to make sure their Christmas is a happy one.

I know this is a lot and like I said, I DO NOT like asking help from anyone, but this time I need it more than ever. It's not just for me, but for the sake of my family. I'm getting calls every day just to be told “you're not what we need right now” or “sorry, the position has been filled. Another may open up soon" and it's just awful, but I push on. Any help from family, friends, friends of friends, will be greatly and humbly appreciated. 

Likewise, I know many have mentioned before with my mom's GoFundMe back in June that they don't like using crowdfunding platforms, so if you'd still like to help, I have CashApp, PayPal, and Venmo. Let me know via Facebook Messenger and I will give you that information if you desire. 

Thank you all in advance. If you can help, I greatly appreciate it, if not, I completely understand and just ask that you keep me and my family in your thoughts and prayers. All the best to you and have the happiest of holidays.