Sometimes a blow is enough to shatter everything.

But sometimes all it takes is a gesture to put the pieces back together.

I am a 38-year-old mother and I have always struggled, as a mother, as a grandmother, as a woman, and writing these words is not easy, I never thought I would do it.

I have raised two children, and today I live with them, with my 2-year-old granddaughter and our 7-year-old dog. We are a great little united family, but right now we are facing an abyss.

In 2020 I lost my job because of Covid. My business was not considered a primary asset, and I stayed at home. In 2021 I tried again, working in a commercial department, but after months without pay, the owner disappeared and closed everything down. From there it started a descent that I could no longer stop.

I ended up in the bank below, with foreclosures, unpaid instalments, and the risk of things getting even worse. Today I work a lot, I work long hours, but it's not enough. I can't get back on my feet. And the weight I carry on my shoulders is enormous.

In spite of everything, I got back on my feet, found a new job, pulled through with the strength of desperation and love for my family.

But debts do not forget. And now they are knocking at the door, with the concrete risk of foreclosures, 2 have already arrived.

We are exhausted, out of breath.

I can no longer protect my children, my granddaughter, our home.

And this is the greatest pain.

If you are reading this, I ask you a favour from the bottom of my heart: help us not to lose everything.

I have never asked anything of anyone, but today I do so with my heart in my hand. Any help, even the smallest, is a breath. A chance. A gesture of hope.

I do it for my children, I do it for my granddaughter. I do it because I still have the strength to try, but I can no longer do it alone.

Thank you from the bottom of my heart to those who lend us a hand.

Even a small contribution can help us to stop the worst, to breathe, to finally find a way out of this nightmare that has oppressed us for too long.

If you cannot donate, share. Pass it on. Help us make our voices heard.

Because behind these lines there is a family that does not want to give up.

With infinite gratitude,

A single mother