When Our Journey Took an Unexpected Turn
On July 8, 2026, my husband Rob and I left Illinois for a long-awaited trip to San Jose, California, to visit his brother, whom we hadn't seen in more than ten years.
Just three days into our journey, everything changed.
While traveling through the Nevada mountains on I-80, our 2003 Chevy Express suffered a catastrophic transmission failure. We were more than 1,700 miles from home, stranded in 104-degree heat outside Winnemucca, Nevada.
What we thought might be a few days turned into nearly a month away from home.
We faced towing, a transmission rebuild, hotel stays, food, transportation, and many other unexpected expenses. We relied on credit cards simply to get through the situation.
We finally made it home—but we came home with more than $10,500 in unexpected credit-card debt.
We are asking for $8,000 to help us begin paying down that emergency debt and get back on our feet.
But this story isn't really about a broken transmission.
It's about the people who showed up when we needed help.
A stranger named Kevin made a U-turn on I-80 to check on us. He bought transmission fluid, drove back to where we were stranded, and made sure we were safe.
Juan welcomed us when we arrived in Winnemucca. Others gave us rides, water, food, encouragement and help.
One couple we met at an RV park heard our story and paid for seven nights of lodging for us.
When our van's rear door broke, local businesses helped us get it repaired—and one shop spent more than three hours fixing it but charged us for only two.
And throughout nearly four weeks of waiting, we kept meeting people who reminded us that we weren't alone.
Our California trip never happened.
But something unexpected did.
We came home with a deeper faith, new friendships, and countless stories of kindness from people who had no reason to help us—but did anyway.
We believe the universe provided for us through the people we met along the way.
Now we are asking for a little help with the financial aftermath.
Our goal is $8,000. Any amount—whether $10, $25, or $100—would help us take another step toward paying down this unexpected debt.
If you can't donate, we completely understand. Sharing our story means just as much.
Our California trip never happened. We did make it back home on Thursday, August 6 (a longer time away than expected).
But after everything we've experienced, we know one thing:
We may have been stranded in Nevada, but we were never truly alone.
