Hello, and thank you for reading. I’m writing today in the hope that someone out there might be in a position to help — or might simply resonate with my story.
I’m a PhD student, a full-time worker, a classical pianist, and a daughter supporting my disabled mother. I’ve been juggling all of these roles for years, and I’ve now reached a point where the pressure has become overwhelming.
My father — the sole provider for our family at the time — died in a tragic accident when I was in high school. Since then, my mother, whose greatest gift is art, has only been able to find low-wage work. She’s now 64, living with chronic pain that can only be resolved through surgery we cannot afford, and makes just over $2,000/month. We live in California, where rent alone is $3,750/month. I contribute the majority of this on an income of roughly $3,000–$3,500/month, commuting via Uber and Caltrain since I don’t own a car — which adds significantly to my monthly costs. In short, it’s simply not enough to survive, let alone thrive, and any unexpected expense — like medical care, or a sudden rental relocation (we had to leave our previous decade-long home when the landlords sold, losing a $1,000/month cheaper rent) — sets us back significantly.
Because of this, I’ve had to take out multiple high-interest loans just to stay afloat, totaling over $15,000 in immediate personal debt for both myself and my mother. This is separate from the $60,000 in student loans I’ve accumulated through undergrad and graduate school — loans that will come due the moment I finish my degree, which has already been delayed due to the necessity of working full-time.
Still, I keep going. I was just named runner-up for a job I’d dreamed about for years — a position that could have changed everything — but I didn’t get the offer. I recently had to sell my most cherished recording equipment (an especially painful sacrifice for me as a musician) just to cover bills after a forced unpaid break from work, which closely followed my time off due to illness. Every month feels like a fight for survival, and every week of working six or more days takes a toll on my health, physically and emotionally.
In addition to my PhD work and job, I run a small astrology and counseling business, built from years of dedicated study. I teach music, writing, and history to children, teens, and adults alike. I’ve written over 670,000 words just since January — research, reflections, teaching materials, and healing texts. But even with all of this, the financial math simply doesn’t work anymore.
My deepest heartbreak is that I can’t fully focus on my calling as a performer, writer, and scholar, because 90% of my energy is spent just staying above water. I know I have something meaningful to offer. But I’m stuck in survival mode. And I know I’m not alone in this — I’m just one more voice in a much larger story of economic instability that so many are facing right now.
I’m not asking for anyone to erase my student loans — though like many Americans, I carry them heavily. What I’m humbly asking for is help with the $15,000 of urgent personal debt that is crushing me now. Without support, my only option is to take out even more high-interest loans, which will only reinforce the cycle of debt.
I can’t relocate for better-paying work because I share both housing and financial responsibility with my mother. We have no generational wealth or safety net. It’s just the two of us, trying to survive.
If you’ve made it this far, thank you for your time and attention. Any contribution — no matter how small — would mean the world to me. And if you can’t give but feel moved to share this story, I’d be deeply grateful for that too.
Thank you so much, truly.
Theodora