Hi, my name is Elena. I’m a hardworking single mom of three, and I’m reaching out during one of the most painful and overwhelming weeks of my life.
—I woke up to discover that AT&T unexpectedly withdrew $800 from my account. That was the exact money I had set aside to pay my $700 rent, due today.
This comes just days after an even deeper heartbreak. My father passed away on June 9th. Today is my Birthday and Father’s Day is tomorrow.
A few weeks ago, my family asked if I could come down to Mexico to help care for him as his health declined. I was able to make it in February and I made an emergency trip to see him. it was my father and he needed me—even though it meant taking unpaid leave and losing critical income. It pushed me back however Being there with him meant everything to me.
But when he passed last week, I couldn’t afford to go back for the funeral. That pain—of losing him, and not being able to say goodbye—has been unbearable.
Right now, I live with my three children in a room my brother is renting to us inside the home my mother and father put the down payment on back in 1991. It’s the only place that truly feels like home right now We are surrounded by family memories, gives me a sense of safety and connection. But even that is now at risk.
I work multiple jobs, budget carefully, and fight every day to hold everything together for my kids. But this sudden withdrawal has left me unable to pay rent, my car payment, or cover basic needs.
