Hi, my name is Claire. My mom is fighting Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML), and lately it feels like I’m living between home and the hospital. I live in a constant cycle of the smell of the hospital and the sound of monitors beeping, only to come home to a mountain of laundry and three little siblings who need me to be 'fine.' I turned 18 in January, but I feel like I’ve aged a decade in the last month.
I’m caring for my siblings who are 1, 3, and 8—without my mom. Since our family is not around, it’s pretty much just us. I handle it when my 3-year-old sister wakes up at 3:00 AM asking why Mom’s hair is falling out, and I still try to make normal days happen, even when I’m exhausted. I’m not working, managing the home schooling schedules, the chemo appts, and some of the bills is a full-time job in itself.
The hardest part is the expenses that keep coming. I’m watching the $4,800 I saved working doubles at Wendys—money that was supposed to pay for my first semester of nursing school—slowly disappear into grocery bills and baby stuff. Everything else is already like so heavy, and seeing my future slip away to cover the basics is extremely overwhelming.
And then there’s Cooper and Rock. They’re family, and Cooper is in pain. His mast cell tumor is getting worse—the one on his hind leg is now the size of a baseball—and the vet said he needs surgery to prevent the cancer from spreading.
I hate having to ask for help. This is genuinely like the last thing I want to do, but I feel so hopeless. I’m not trying to make anyone feel bad—I’m trying to keep our family together and give our dog a chance to feel better. If you donate, your donation will go to my siblings' care, food, and diapers, as well as the surgery Cooper needs. Even if I can’t get together enough money for surgery, I can at least get him the daily medications he needs to manage the pain.
Any small amount helps more than you know. Please message me on here with any questions.
Thank you for reading. If you can help, please donate (link below) and please share if you’re able."
