I need urgent help. I am 51 years old and, for 2 years, I have been battling a rare form of cancer in my dominant hand and wrist called synovial sarcoma. I have a 12-year-old daughter and have been living with abuse from my husband for years. Recently, his abuse came to a head and he was arrested for domestic violence on December 30th. I have a protection order against him but it is only temporary until the next January 30th hearing. He has obtained a lawyer. He was the sole breadwinner and I am unable to find work.
I left my last job, in corporate pharmacy, in 2018, to be my mother’s primary caregiver as she suffered and declined with dementia. She passed away from Covid in 2021. That year, I started getting symptoms in my hand that developed quickly into severe pain that made it impossible for me to do anything. Nighttime pain was the worst and I was only getting 2-3 hours of sleep a night for months. The doctors thought it was a severe case of carpal tunnel for 14 months as I suffered from pain that was unable to be relieved with Percocet from the ER. When I was finally able to get carpal tunnel release surgery in October 2022, they found the tumor that was later determined to be synovial sarcoma. I have had 4 surgeries since then and the cancer was found to have traveled to my lung in October 2023. I am left with about 30-40% strength and am incapable of doing things I once did with ease. Washing dishes, scrubbing my bathroom down, and vacuuming are struggles that take me hours to recover from if it involves using my dominant hand. Upon finding out about my cancer, my husband was, at first, supportive, but that supportive existence failed throughout all of 2023.
Recently, my husband’s verbal, financial, and emotional abuse became violent and he broke my bedroom door as I sought refuge in my room. He was taken into custody and released on January 2nd because it was his “first offense”. This was not his first offense in the home. It was just the first time he was arrested. I managed to be able to get a protection order against him and he is now out of the home. These protection orders are temporary until January 30th and he has gotten himself a lawyer. Being that I have been unable to work due to the nature of my cancer and treatment/surgery/recovery, and the short timeframe I have to get legal representation, I am seeking urgent help.
Since November 2023, I have been actively looking for a job where I can work from home so that my employer is not able to see any disability. I have been turned down for 8 jobs now and am using my 1 credit card to survive with my daughter. I had little in my savings as he never allowed me access to money. We’re getting by scarcely, but making the best of it somehow.
I am trying to get my daughter into counseling for her mental health as we struggle through. She has started to have anxiety attacks and is going in and out of depression. My heart is hurting and my spirit is weak. I feel helpless because she blames me for all of what we’re going through. I truly hope she understands, one day, that I’m doing all this for her well-being.
I have reached out to numerous free help services to no avail. They are either at capacity or they don’t return my calls. I tried to go to a free legal services class to get pro bono help last night and was turned away because they were already at capacity. That was the last session for January and my hearing is on January 30th. I have an appointment with a lawyer on Monday. His consultation fee is $200 and his retainer fee is $4000. Though I can use my credit card to pay him, I have no way of paying back that rising debt and will have little left to get by. If I am unable to have this protection order extended, I fear that my home environment will be unsafe.
He is malicious and cruel when it comes to me. His heart is black and cold. I truly need help to find freedom from all of this. I pray every day, everywhere I go, that God, the Universe and Eternal Spirit will send help because I am doing all I can to try to make life work in my and my daughter’s favor against all odds. I am hoping I have done enough good deeds in my life to have good energy back on my side again. I, TRULY, NEED HELP.
I am asking for however much money anyone can send starting at $6000 to help me get through this phase and until a positive job offer comes through. If you know a lawyer practicing in the state of Washington who would be willing to help me pro bono, with this protection order and divorce, that would be helpful, also. Thank you for taking the time to read about my dilemmas. I have linked my PayPal and Venmo below for anyone willing and able to help me. Thank you, sincerely, in advance.
Cadence’s Mom
Venmo: https://venmo.com/u/PeasyTee
PayPal: https://www.paypal.me/PeasyTea