My husband and I have always worked hard and tried to plan for the future, but recently, life has thrown us more challenges than we ever expected. My husband was in a toxic work environment that caused him severe stress—he was physically ill before work every day and constantly worried about being blamed for mistakes that weren’t his fault. He worked with federal grants and was responsible for safety, but his boss wouldn’t listen, leaving him in an impossible position. A few months ago, he received a job offer a couple of hours away, which meant taking a pay cut. We’ve been paying for hotels while searching for a new home, hoping for a fresh start.

While applying for financing, we discovered unexpected tax issues from previous years. Although we hadn’t received any notices before, we’re now told we owe thousands of dollars, which will drain our savings for a down payment. On top of that, the furnace and air conditioner in our current house quit, and repairs are estimated to be very expensive. Because the system needs to be installed in a crawl space, we may have to remove part of the wall or floor just to get it in.

Anything we receive will help greatly towards fixing our current house, finding another house, moving expenses (which gas prices are not our friend), catching up on taxes we weren’t even aware were an issue, catching up on bills that are piling up, and hopefully, with less financial stress, medical issues due to stress will subside and we may be able to start a family.

We would be forever grateful for any help. Asking for help is something I never thought I would do. I have always worked hard at any job I’ve had, saved when I could, and tried to invest when possible. Sometimes life has to humble us so we can understand that it’s okay to ask for help and then be there when someone else needs it.