In 2020, my brother fell ill and I had to temporarily relocate to help my mom care for him. He was a barber and did not have medical or disability insurance, so I covered all of his expenses so he could focus on his healing. I would have done anything to help him get better, but sadly, he passed away in August of 2021. He was my best friend and my biggest supporter. His death was the beginning of my long spiral into clinical depression. I found myself in a state where I was unable to work or function for several months. By the time I returned to work, I had fallen behind on all of my expenses and had to file Chapter 13 Bankruptcy without an attorney to avoid losing it all.

Shortly before all this, in May of 2019, I purchased my first home. It was a fixer-upper, so I hired a contractor to make the repairs I wanted. He ended up destroying my home. I filed a complaint with the state, but it was only after that I learned he wasn't licensed. I lost approximately $15K and had to hire several additional contractors to correct the damage he caused. By the time they were done, I was out an additional $15K.

After six years of owning the home, I still do not have running water in my kitchen because the original contractor cut the lines. He also re-ran the wiring from the bedrooms and the kitchen to a single breaker. Thanks to him, I can't use kitchen appliances unless items in other rooms are disconnected. If I forget to unplug them, the breakers trip and I have to go outdoor, where the box is located, to reset them. I've been quoted thousands to correct these plumbing and wiring issues.

When I initially filed for Chapter 13 bankruptcy in April of 2022, I was granted a repayment plan of $2000 per month. Due to an increase in my homeowner's insurance, the plan was increased to $2245 per month. My repayment plan includes my mortgage and car payment, but all other living expenses are excluded. The year I filed, my medical premiums increased from $180 per month to $600 per month. I was left with approximately $1400 per month to cover car insurance, life insurance, lights, water, gas for heating, internet, cell phone, food, clothing, toiletries, gas for car, maintenance, repairs, etc.

For the first two years, I performed gig work, including Uber, Lyft, Spark, Amazon Flex, etc., seven days a week from 5 am until 9 am to survive. From 9 am until 5 pm, I worked my full time job, and at 5 pm, I resumed gig work and continued until it became difficult to keep my eyes open. The cost of gas and maintenance on the vehicle meant that I was only able to break even some weeks. On weekends, I tried to allot some time to focus on the house repairs. As you can imagine, this routine was exhausting and extremely overwhelming.

I have been in therapy for a while, learning to cope with the loss of my brother. I had been living in a constant state of disarray since his death. I never allowed anyone to enter my home because I was so embarrassed by it's state. My therapist encouraged me to make the space as livable as possible, as it would help me to deal with the depression. In July of this year, I decided to try to do that before winter set in. I put the gig work on pause from July until this month.

Unfortunately, this caused me to fall behind on my bankruptcy payments, and the trustee has now filed a motion to dismiss my case. I am almost three years into the plan. I worked hard to keep up with my payments and tried to send at least half each month, despite how difficult it was.

I am back performing gig work on a daily basis, but I know I will not be able to come up with the full amount due by my February 11, 2025 court date. I take full responsibility for where I am and how my life has turned out. I'm honestly not expecting any sympathy. Believe it or not, I'm a proud woman, and under other circumstances, I wouldn't dare ask for a handout. But I don't have any friends or family I can turn to for help because I used to be the person they came to for help.

I'm doing all I can to help myself, including exploring my options for selling my life insurance policy. It would mean the world to me if you would be willing to contribute to my cause. In the interest of transparency, I would even be willing to provide you with my case information so you could send your contribution directly to the bankruptcy trustee.

If I'm not able to raise the funds I need, I will end up homeless.

Thank you for taking the time to read this.