We need just a little help to get us back on our feet. Right now, everything in our lives depends on having a reliable vehicle. Without it, we can’t work, we can’t pay our bills, and we can’t move forward.

When my mom passed away last July, our lives changed in an instant. My wife and I lost the only steady place we had to stay. Before that, we were doing everything we could—traveling for work, living with my mom, just trying to keep our heads above water. But when she was gone, the foundation we’d built our lives on just disappeared.

In February, I put everything I had into buying a car. It was supposed to be our way forward, something dependable so we could keep working and start rebuilding. But almost right away, things started to go wrong.

By July, I was already replacing the head gasket. Not long after, the brakes failed while we were on the interstate. We replaced the lines and rotors—repairs that were supposed to have been covered by recalls. Every time we made progress, something else would break.

Then, just before Christmas, the flex plate snapped. We spent Christmas in a church parking lot, working through the cold, pulling the transmission out ourselves and doing whatever it took to get back on the road.

Since then, the transmission has come out four more times. The last repair cost us $800 in parts—money we only scraped together by selling my wife’s car and personal belongings. Even then, we couldn’t afford OEM parts, and the rebuild kit failed almost immediately. Standing there after all that work, seeing it fall apart, was a heartbreak I can’t describe.

Now, the transmission has failed again. Bills are piling up. Insurance and registration are due. Without a working car, we can’t work. We’re at a crossroads, trying to find a way back to stability after losing so much.

 Any help will go directly toward fixing the car the right way so we can get back to work, pay our bills.

Thank you for reading our story and for any support you can give. It means more than words can say.