Good evening, my name is Andreia. I am 36 years old and going through a divorce. I am the mother of a 6-year-old girl who will be turning 7 just after Christmas this year; her birthday will be a little different and sad. I am currently facing some difficulties.The factory where I used to work went into administration and I was on unemployment benefit for 10 months, as that was what I was entitled to. However, the initial unemployment benefit I was receiving ended on 22 September 2025, and since that day, 22 September 2025, I have received no financial assistance whatsoever from social security.I am currently attending an Rvcc course equivalent to Year 12, as I was only able to complete my education up to Year 9, and I am not receiving any benefits. Regarding financial support, I have already approached social security directly on two further occasions and submitted all the necessary documents, but even after all this, I am still being told that my case is under review, as I am currently going through a divorce(marriage with separate property) it is further delaying the process, and because I filed a complaint as I suffered not physical but psychological abuse, and sometimes in front of my daughter. I tried everything, I humbled myself, but I can’t take it any more. My daughter’s psychological well-being and happiness are more important than anything, and that is why I had to act as quickly as possible. However, the savings I had set aside – which weren’t much but were enough for the two of us – have now run out, and that’s because I am, and always have been, one of those women who, although married, felt as though I were a married widow, having to manage everything on my own: from the home, school, food, hygiene and medication to the trips to work and looking after my daughter.I’m looking for work, but as well as needing and looking for a job—which I haven’t found yet—I need one that allows me to have the weekend free to take her to catechism and so on, and during the week to finish by 5 pm/ 6 pm so I can be with her at home and take her to paediatric appointments at the hospital due to a previous admission for severe acute ataxia caused by chickenpox and unspecified asthma. If I could, I’d even start my own business; I’m very determined and not afraid of new things, but without funds, it’s not feasible for now. But who knows, maybe my dream will come true. However, my daughter has unspecified asthma and takes 125 mg of Flexitaide every night at 12.00, when her symptoms are at their worst, and uses the Salbutamol inhaler only in an emergency – I repeat, only in an emergency. But then, on 26 October, my daughter chipped a tooth and we went to the dentist with a dental voucher after sending an email to my local health centre. And so it was, she was treated, but now we’re faced with the issue of having to use a fixed expander to widen the roof of her mouth. After several appointments and various diagnoses in different places, we found one that actually specialises in paediatric orthodontics and went ahead with the appointment. She really does need a fixed expander to widen the bone of the roof of her mouth because there isn’t enough space for her teeth to come through. She will need to have an upper baby tooth on the right-hand side, identified as no. 55, removed so that the permanent tooth underneath can come down and grow straight without any problems, gaps or misalignments. She will need a dental clean, an X-ray and a scan for a better analysis, and to make the mould for the fixed expander; then, once the expander is fitted, she will have follow-up appointments. Note that the fixed expander does not prevent her from later using braces to align her teeth and close any gaps. But the total cost for all this comes to €1,500, covering just the appliance, X-rays, cleaning, scan, tooth extraction and follow-up appointments after it’s fitted. Given that we’re now in the festive season and my little girl, who is 6 and will be turning 7 the day after Christmas on the 26th, and I can’t afford to buy her a present either. I also have broken teeth and cavities; I’m lucky they don’t hurt, but I can’t get them treated because I don’t have enough money and I’m behind on my bills, but that’s life.As if all that weren’t enough, my daughter has already had an ECG, a Doppler ultrasound and is due to undergo a 24-hour Holter monitor to check whether there is anything wrong with her heart, as she sometimes experiences a rapid heartbeat and muscle or chest pain. all of which could be down to anxiety, but it might not be, given that my little girl’s paternal grandmother had two episodes of cardiac arrhythmia; she never met her paternal grandfather as he passed away, and I never met him either – he had a heart condition, and had he had an operation, we’d know for certain today whether he’d still be with us or not, had he chosen to have the surgery. On my side, from my daughter’s maternal family, only one great-grandmother has passed away from a stroke; as she is already a great-grandmother, contact is no longer as close as with the paternal/maternal grandparents.

If you could help, at least with the treatments and the fixed expansion appliance, I would be immensely grateful from the bottom of my heart

Kind regards, Andreia Pereira

[email protected].