Val is the friend that everyone hopes for, she will be your confidant and therapist, she will tell you what you need to hear but she will do it in a loving way and often she will put herself last just so that you have someone putting you first.

Life has been unkind to her in recent years. She was divorced by her husband/partner of 11 years in 2019. That sent her into a downward spiral of depression. She was assaulted during this time by the first man she had been with since her husband and that made matters worse. She began to shut herself off from the outside world and got lost in her depression. In November of 2019, shortly before her birthday, she was evicted and became homeless. She had to give her beloved pets to her ex-husband as she would be bouncing around shelters. For each week during her homelessness she would have to pack up the few belongings she could bring with her, hop on a bus and walk most of the way to the DSS building to reapply for assistance.

Just before Covid-19 hit, she moved in with a friend that she met online. She was ashamed of the last six months and never told her friend about what had happened during that time. She wanted to start anew. Soon after she moved she started applying to many jobs. She was sent two job offers and was eager to start. She was going to be on her own and rebuilding her life. Her start date for both jobs was to be March 6, 2020 however nationwide lockdowns had started at the beginning of March. The job she had been offered, was working for a hotel. She was back to square one and now needed to look for a job that could be done at home. Valerie has asthma, chronic sinus infections, and PCOS, which all make her very susceptible to covid.

Living with her friend was ok in the beginning but It soon became a harsh environment. She doesn't speak to me much about what happened during that time but I can tell it was rough on her. She started dating towards the end of 2020, she was excited about meeting someone who made her feel seen. She moved in with him in March of 2021 and at first, it was good, happy.

She thought her luck was going to be moving up, however, her boyfriend at the time got fired from his job for not showing up to work and this resulted in all expenses being put on Val's shoulders. She tried to keep her head up and a smile on her face and most times she had us fooled that things were going well, but we knew that something wasn't right. Her boyfriend didn't get another job until late April and then lost it on July 4th. Since then she has been trying to save up to move out, but that has been difficult. He got a job again at the end of August and lost that one again at the end of November. Any money she had managed to save went to paying back bills as well as current ones. Now it is February of a new year, she is still living with her ex who gaslights her daily and has started to threaten her. It hasn't gotten to physical violence and while she could go to a shelter she refuses because that means giving up her pets again and that would be devastating.

I wish I could say that was the end of the bad for my friend sadly it isn't. A few days ago she received results from a pap smear. She had an abnormal test and they told her they can't rule out cancer. The cells were in the process of mutation and she has to go for a biopsy to find out if she has cancer.

I want to give her good news. She is a wonderful human being who has had an awful time but always manages to have a smile on her face and offers to help others. She is in desperate need of someone or some people to help her. She rarely if ever asks for help herself. She is the kind of woman that would be starving and need a drink and give her last sandwich and bottle of water to another soul.

I am starting this fundraiser to help her. I want to help her move closer to her family so that she can have loved ones around if she does get a cancer diagnosis. I want to help her get to a safe place, a calm lovely home that is all hers. I want to help her have a real bed to sleep on and not an air mattress, and I want to help her receive her nail technician certificate. Please help me raise the money to help her because if I know anything about her she will pay it forward as soon as she can.

The money raised will be used for the first month's rent and security deposit, rental vehicle and assistance packing and unpacking the van, setting up internet for work, groceries, and funds for purchasing a bed and a dresser since she hasn't had those since her divorce. The only furniture she has is an air mattress and a picnic table. After months of job applications, she landed a job that would allow her to work safely from home. After a week of unpaid training and a promise of more hours than the business could handle, they cut back hours drastically. She is now back to searching for sustainable work while working the handful of hours that are made available at her current job. I would love to give her hope and good news in time for Spring. This wonderful person truly deserves a break.

Please help me help this wonderful person down on her luck.