I moved to Dayton, Ohio about 5 years ago. A year of that I served in prison for a assault on a police officer (well, two and I’m not proud). This is the house I have rented since I’ve been here. It’s home. It caught fire almost two years ago and still being repaired. Dayton is birthplace of aviation and also one of the party capitals of the world. I was fresh out of a 11 year relationship with a man that did the last five of that 11 years ended up getting my cousin pregnant. In case you’re wondering yeah I was the fool that stuck with him faithfully while he did his time. That’s not a problem just a motivation so I needed a change away from people we knew. The birthplace of aviation was also my startover. “In order to fly we must drop the all the deadweight” the deadweight” in my case the deadweight obviously being the ex. That was a blessing. I got out of prison and stepped into a real life what the fuck. I was only gone a year but everything was weird. About 4 months after my release, my house caught fire thanks to some debris inside the wall irritating the old school wiring. So here I am with my start over and don’t get me wrong, I get by with food. I still work and still even own my own online store and most of my products are handmade crafts but I’m a one woman show and it almost doesn’t get it. For now, I’m rent free because well, yeah. Im not being petty and had I not heard it from someone on the radio I wouldn’t even probably notice, of all the family, friends and strangers I’ve helped not one has even offered any type of help. The fact nobody has even asked how I am seriously pains me. My situation is not private. My mom raised me to always be helpful and not to expect anything. Random acts of kindness does something to our being. She was the same way, always helping someone, anyone. Especially those that were labeled the “outcasts/forgotten/unloved”.It was important to her to make everyone aware of their importance. While all that is true, ironically I live in my garage or truck. This entire time. I shower at truck stops or parks and if I have the money I’ll rent a room for a night. The insurance including my rental insurance only covered $8,000 in damages. Praise god that so many showed up but it was a living room fire that got the attention of 8 firetrucks. Some were from the next town. They did more damage to the house than the fire and as of now it has walls, rooms, the inside is ALMOST done. My landlord and I both have forked over out of pocket money to finish repairs. We have went thru 3 contractors. The first spent 5 months getting drunk and not working. He put the first floor windows in backwards.l among other things. The others, two different companies. One is volunteer and the one being paid shows up whenever. We have roughly  $2900 left in repairs to get done that is max top. That’s doors, wiring, and a new front room floor. I’ve discussed it with my family members I have left=my kids the “free” contractors. They’re 16 and over with school and jobs. But still do what they can. And also agreed if they could just get the supplies they’d finish it all in less than a week. Wiring is a certified contractor (yeah all these differed people). To be honest this has been an experience that has been bitter sweet. And in case you’re wondering I haven’t been in any type of criminal trouble since my release. I owe no court fines, no fees, no probation. It’s a success for me. Usually I used almost welcome some damage to enter my life to have a reason to party and fight. Always fighting. Least I got hands and I can take an beat down too. Literally and metaphorically speaking. During all this and avoiding Covid, I’ve been blessed that I haven’t caught it that whole time and even with this new “strain”. This past June (2021) I lost my dad when I didn’t have to. Have you ever got so wrapped up in life bs you’re dumb to the rest of the world? My dad had lung problems, was hospitalized a month, then sent home to wait on a lung donor. There was talk of a chance he could die he knew that-but didn’t go home TO die. He was lied to. He needed a machine to breathe and my sister made it sound so complicated like it was expensive and rare. They did have him on oxygen at home. So I figured he was still waiting it out. Hospice was there. He was on whatever drug they had him on and oxygen. He died 2 days later. After his passing I found out all he needed was a c-pap and my sister signed a dnr (do not resuscitate) while he was sleeping at the hospital. He didn’t know that. We have no way to prove any of it so-my dad was suffocated til he died. So sick. Here’s the cherry: five months later somewhere about noon in her sleep my mother passed away unexpectedly. Coroner said her heart stopped and she quit breathing. She died of a broken heart I say. Oh, they had been split up for over 30 years but we’re still good with each other as parents/grandparents. My mom lived somewhere other than him and if weren’t for her talking about things with my dads passing I’d probably be dumbfounded still. Sorry for the book but I figure why not put it out there if I’m asking for money? Do you all really care for a reason or pick a random name? Lol. I don’t know how this works at all. I know I might sound crazy as hell to some maybe all, but I don’t think I know very many that would be still standing. I keep to myself and when I talk to my kids, I keep a strong mom image. I’ve lost trust in trust lol. This is heavy. I stood strong even thru my dad passing but my moms was the feather on the jenga tower. I just want help to finish my home once and for all. The full amount is a guesstimate less is fine anything is fine. One cent a person. I just need a break and I want in my home and when it’s done I’m definitely doing a screaming crying fit and it’s long overdue and I’m taking a extra hot shower for however long til the hot water is gone. And then I’m gonna move on to living again. My store is strangely successful from starting from nothing. My income before taxes is still less than minimum wage. All those felon released from prison programs are a crock of shit. It’s a hustle for someone though so I’m not hatin, but damn.

I just want to be as honest as I can, so let me first say that…. If I had made better choices a long time ago I probably wouldn’t be in such a bad situation today. But, for the last 6 months or so things are just not working out. I started nursing school in August, and realized I couldn’t handle working as many hours as before. Bills got backed up and payments were late and then just not made at all. Hurricane Ida came and ruined everything in my fridge and freezer. I was out of lights for 2 weeks staying at a hotel. I did get some government help for some of that… but it just took every single penny. So that was the beginning of September. My Corolla started giving me trouble around October. First it was dead cells in the battery, then it was the alternator, then the belt wasn’t put back on correctly after fixing the alternator so that was another fix I had to pay for. And finally on the car topic, on my birthday in December… It was storming and I hurried to jump out of my friend’s car because it was raining, and my keys fell out of my purse. I never was able to find them so my car is sitting outside of my house because it’s 300 dollars to replace a car key because of the programming. My account is overdrawn, my car insurance lapsed. I am overwhelmed and alone. I need to fix my car so I can stop spending money on Lyft’s for work. The hospital I need to drive to for clinicals is 35 minutes away and school started back up for the semester this week. I need to get my life together and none of this is anyone’s fault, but here I am…. My credit isn’t good, I have gone through every option for a loan or something of the sort. I don’t have family to borrow from. I have a sibling but he doesn’t have the extra to help whatsoever. My parents have both passed away, not like I should be begging for money from them at 28 years old anyway. I don’t deserve a huge donation. But if for some reason this resonates with you and you want to donate 2 dollars or 10 cents, I would appreciate it more than you know. I just want to catch up a little bit, I want to be able to focus on my nursing classes and I want to help people. Thank you for reading this and I’m sorry for the selfishness of posting this knowing people out there are dealing with so much more. I really am blessed, I am just really low right now and I’m having trouble getting back up. Thank you.

https://www.buymeacoffee.com/vibewithviv20

Hello. My name is Serena, I’m 18, and I’m a senior in high school. I live in a small ranch home in a small town with my parents and my best friend, whom we took in after she was abandoned (for drugs)  just before we started freshman year. We have three cats and two rats, and we are dog lovers but can’t have one ourselves, so we dogsit sometimes. 

As for myself… I am a lot of different things. Beginning with the good news, I am a woman of several talents, as most people tell me. I’ve been playing piano for 13 years, I sing, I write music sometimes, I am an artist that enjoys creating a plethora of different types of works, and, as it may already be evident, I am a writer. English teachers have praised my abilities and used my writing as examples for the entire class. I do particularly well in persuasive writing. By the end of this, you may agree with those English teachers. I, however, cannot and have not made any attempts to boast about anything. I’m not that type of person. 

The bad news is the most plentiful. Starting with the beginning of my life, my mother had a kidney transplant when I was three, and the illness leading up to that and the transplant itself created a lot of stress within her and my dad. This caused them to verbally and physically abuse me (I’m an only child) in the early years of my life. That is much different now and I know for a fact that my parents never, ever meant to truly hurt me, but I don’t have the connection with them that I should. I have little trust that they will not hurt me if I talk about how I feel with them. Speaking of which…

Depression and anxiety runs in all parts of my family. Unfortunately I got the short end of the stick; my little gift basket of mood disorders is chronic and severe, and I have a medical diagnosis of that. I had 12 weeks of intensive treatment for my depression in 2020, which was a life-changer for me. Though I was enlightened, and I continue to be, I still struggle very very much. Most recently I’ve been having an issue with a medication dosage, which caused a public seizure at a school dance, hallucinations, and extreme shakiness and weakness in all parts of my body. It wasn’t until I’d experienced all of these things abundantly that my psychiatrist decided that it was the medication, even though we’ve been trying to tell them that for months. Those symptoms, on top of all the other symptoms I have on a regular basis, along with very serious family issues involving my grandparents and my uncle dying of long-term alcoholism, have caused this entire school semester to become the worst few months of my life. I have a history of self-harm from the past but have been clean for over a year; somehow I’ve managed to avoid that completely. I think it’s a lack of tools. 

I have also been having serious digestive issues recently because my depression makes it very difficult to eat regularly. Now I am at the stage of malnutrition which is very painful. For months I have been in a constant state of uneasiness. 

As you may have guessed, money is my biggest concern. I am not capable of working right now (I have tried and failed), and I can barely even keep up with my school work. I am NOT someone that likes to ask for anything, much less a large sum of money, but… I don’t have many options left at this point. I have all my basic necessities and more, but what I don’t have is a paved road for my future. With no money at all, I can’t hope of finishing my basement apartment or fixing the many problems with our 70+ year old house with just my diabetic father and 75 year old grandfather with Leukemia; I can’t hope of ever having what I need to bring my symptoms to a minimum (while still being within reason, as I have been educated about during treatment and I know what that entails) so that I can continue to do what I love… write, make games, play games for experience and inspiration, create art, hang out with friends and family more, and design the perfect living space for myself. That itself takes a lot of thought and consideration, and it seems impossible because I don’t have the mental, emotional, or physical energy to fund myself and my plethora of projects having to do with remodeling. 

What I would do with the money is not necessarily spend it, but invest it. For years I have been researching the exchange of stocks, foreign currency, and cryptocurrency, but never had the funds to go through with any plan that I had made. Making this investment would make a key change in my mood and attitude, seeing as I will know that I have something to work with. That I’m not completely lost or hopeless. 

I hope my story has inspired you in many more ways than those involving money. I also hope that I have made myself clear and made sense as to why I need said money. Now… I do not like to ask for things, as I’ve said before, so… as for a requested sum, I would say someplace between $1000 and $5000 is more than enough. I am quite aware that money can’t buy me happiness, but I do know that it can buy me hope. Sometimes that hope is false, and those situations are life lessons that are necessary to have. Overall, I have a solid plan that I have been developing for quite awhile. Now, all I need is the funds. 

Thank you so, so much for hearing me out.

https://paypal.me/serenapaymentthing?country.x=US&locale.x=en_US

I don’t know where to start, I’ve never done anything like this before, but here we go!…First of I want to beg whomever reads this to please please PLEASE read it to the end. Its so long and I’m sorry for that but please please PLEASE read our very true horror story. My name is Stephanie, I am a twice divorced single mother to two amazing children. I have a 13-year-old son I will refer as Jamie from my first marriage. I also have a 9-year-old daughter named Lilly from my second marriage, we live in Bismarck North Dakota and I own two different businesses that I started alone with no help from anyone, and by working hard I manage to make enough to provide for my children, I almost lost my businesses to COVID-19 but managed to keep my head above the water, I operate both businesses alone, and will celebrate 5 years of being operational on 2/1/22! I am also a recovering drug addict and have been sober since the day I found out I was pregnant with Jamie so over 13 years now!!! On top of running my businesses I volunteer to help newly recovering addicts stay sober, and find suitable homes and jobs. However, I’m going to lose all of that if I don’t get financial help soon. Now that you know us a little better I will explain my reasons for this plea for help…

Before I begin, I’d like to say thank you for any help you can give us even if all you do is read my story, even that helps to get the word out and let people know my sons extremely sad story, I’m fighting to keep him safe and the very people that should help us keep him safe turned their backs on us! I am determined to let people know how Child Protective Services treated us and how negligent they have been regarding the safety of my son! You see my son and I have been living a nightmare for the last 10 years…To summarize why I’m begging for help is I’m fighting to keep my son safe from his father, although things have been bad for my son while with his father something happened in May of last year (2021) that was absolutely horrible. I was granted an emergency order for soul custody of Jamie as well as a protective order for us both, I will explain all in this extremely long story. I am in the court fight of my life right now to save my son, and the reasons I am begging for financial help is so I can continue to pay the massive attorney fees so I can win the battle in court and keep my son safe! my business took a huge hit due to COVID-19. I was able to keep my businesses afloat but now because of all the time and money going toward our court case and paying our lawyer to keep fighting for us, I’m very close to shutting down my businesses if I don’t get help soon… I need help and I don’t know where to get it! Before explaining our situation I need whoever reads this to understand I am NOT a vindictive person nor am I using my child to “get back” at my ex-husband. My ex husband has terrorized us for too long and our situation has become critical! I will explain all in this plea for help, but I am begging…BEGGING you to read this letter to the end, before passing any judgment or making any decisions. As you continue to read this you may think it sounds over dramatic and/or extremely exaggerated, but I can assure you everything explained herein is the truth and I can back up everything I discuss…I have mountains of proof, and even some pictures that I will attach to this letter! I’m so sorry this letter is so long, but I believe that in order to adequately explain the years long situation that has brought us to the point of asking strangers to help us financially, I need to be as honest and as thorough as possible, no details will be left out. I am going to first explain the nightmare that was my marriage, and what prompted me to be able to escape with my son and nothing else, then I’m going to discuss the different situations my son was forced to endure while he was with his father that lead us to the point we are at today, then I will discuss all the other channels we have gone through for help only to be deemed as unimportant, as well as the toll this has taken on my sons mental, physical and emotional health, then I end with where we are today and why we are so desperate for any sort of financial help. I will try to go in chronological order of when events took place so you, the reader will be able to follow along easier because this letter is so full of explanations of things that have happened so it could be confusing, but believe me when I say it’s a messy, ugly story and my heart breaks everyday when I see all the mental, emotional and physical damage my ex-husband has caused his only child…the one person he should protect at all costs! I know there are always two sides to every story but in our situation I can back up all of the claims I make with proof. PLEASE NOTE: This story includes things like child abuse, spousal abuse and drug usage. It will disgust you; it will anger you and/or break your heart but I will state the facts no matter how upsetting. Any help, no matter how small is so incredibly appreciated, this is very difficult and embarrassing for me to ask strangers for help but when it comes to my children I have no pride, I will do everything in my power to keep them safe and if that means begging strangers for money then that’s what I will do, I’m a mama, it’s my job!!! Thank you for any help, and any attention you give our story. Even if you only read this and choose not donate anything…well that’s just fine!! If only one person takes the time to read this letter it will help to get my son’s story told, and maybe just maybe our story could save another child forced to live a nightmare like ours!

My ex-husband is not a nice person, our marriage was hell and he was extremely violent and abusive toward me, because of him I have had to get stitches a few times, two different bones in my face were broken, my shoulder has been dislocated, and when I was 8 months pregnant with our son my ex-husband threw me down the stairs causing me to go into early labor, I was put in the hospital for 2 weeks and our son Jamison (Jamie) was born 2 weeks early. On top of the violence my ex-husband was and still is a drug user/dealer. During our marriage I was not allowed to have a cell phone or a car, but worst of all my ex-husband wouldn’t allow me to contact my family. Even though we only lived 5 miles from my parents I didn’t get to see them for 2 long years…it was devastating to me. I was so scared to ask for help because I was afraid of what my ex husband would do to me! I couldn’t call the police because I had no access to a phone, but one night he hit me while I was holding our baby and that was it for me, I needed to get out somehow, I don’t like to say “I left” my ex-husband…because I didn’t just leave my ex-husband…what I did was I finally escaped my tormentor, and I did it with nothing but the clothes on my back and my baby in my arms…One night when my ex-husband passed out I took his phone and at 3am I called my parents for the first time in two years and all I had to say to my dad after he finally answered was a whispered “come get me…please come get me” and my dad’s response was “I’m on my way”. I was afraid for my life I don’t make that statement lightly…I literally feared for my life if my ex-husband were to wake up and catch me trying to leave! Once I was away I had to hide for a couple weeks in different hotels because my ex-husband hunted for my son and me for days, he went to my parents house, my grandmother’s house even to my sisters house in a different state (she lives in South Dakota)! I finally filed divorce papers and did all I could to keep Jamie safe, I had no money to retain an attorney so unfortunately, we had to share joint custody of Jamie, Jamie would be with me for 7 days and then he went to his dads for 7 days. Believe it or not the joint custody worked for a while because my ex-husband a grown man in his 30’s still lives with his parents…my ex didn’t have a job, and when we were still together I was the only one that worked, so when I left I stopped paying our mortgage and got my name off our house loan, and because he didn’t work, and my income was gone the house went into foreclosure and my ex-husband moved into his parents basement. To this day my ex-husband doesn’t have a job beyond dealing drugs and just stealing everything he wants, and he still lives in his parent’s basement. However…because he lived in his parents basement the joint custody worked for quite awhile because my ex-husbands parents raised Jamie when he was there every other week, but then everything went down hill very fast…

REPORT #1… The first bad thing that happened when Jamie was with his dad was that my ex-husband wanted to steal a $300 piece of equipment from a sporting goods store, as they were getting ready to leave the store my ex-husband gave the merchandise to Jamie and told him it was already paid for and to go outside and wait for him, but when Jamie (who was almost 8 years old at the time) went out the door of the store he was immediately stopped by the police! The store’s security officers had been following my ex and Jamie through the store, while another store security officer watched my ex-husband on CCTV and had already called the police when they saw my ex give the merchandise to Jamie and tell him to walk outside and wait for him. When my ex realized the store security and police had stopped Jamie he (my ex) went out there and started yelling at Jamie trying to make it look and sound like Jamie was the one who was stealing the merchandise! My ex literally threw his 8 year old son under the bus trying to get them to believe Jamie and Jamie alone was responsible for the theft. Luckily the store cameras showed the moment when my ex gave Jamie the merchandise! My ex was arrested for the theft, but when they searched my ex-husband they found meth and meth paraphernalia in his pocket, so he was also charged with drug possession. I didn’t learn of this situation until a week later when Jamie’s school called to inform me a CPS investigator pulled Jamie out of class for two hours. I frantically called CPS and they explained what happened and that I needed to come and have a meeting with him. That was the first of 8 reports filed against my ex-husband in only 5 years for abuse or neglect of his own son…yes you read that correctly 8 CPS reports, 8 CPS investigations all for the same thing, all initiated by teachers, principals and councilors, all in only 5 years and even though CPS investigated my ex-husband over and over again for the same issue they did nothing to help me keep my son safe. This first investigation was as heartbreaking as all the ones to come, it was also the first time a CPS investigator said to me (quoted word for word) “obviously Jamie is being neglected by his father, as well as emotionally and mentally abused by him, but he isn’t beating him so we wont be taking Jamie from his father” so…the case was closed without any repercussions for my ex husband. I was upset by this but I hoped my ex-husband getting into trouble would be enough to make him realize this is not how a father cares for his child…I thought it was a one time thing and would never happen again! I thought a CPS investigation was an extremely serious situation and it would scare my ex into growing up and try to be the father his son deserves …but I was very very wrong because there were an additional 7 reports were filed against my ex-husband in only 5 years.

I won’t go into as much detail as I did with this first incident that introduced CPS into our lives so here is a brief summary of the other 7 reports that were filed and by whom…

REPORT #2…when Jamie was 9, he broke down to his teacher and told her he’s scared of his dad, and that he keeps finding needles and pipes in the house. The teacher immediately called me to let me know she reported my ex-husband to CPS. CPS finally called me a month later and said “because there is no proof we can’t do anything, however if his father becomes physically violent let us know then we can step in and give you emergency custody”

REPORT #3…During the same school year my son’s grades dropped and he had a meeting with his school principal and broke down again about how he was scared of his father and how my ex started using drugs in front of him. She filed a report with CPS and this time they didn’t call me at all, I called over and over and after a month or so I got a call back from the CPS investigator (who wasn’t the same investigator as reports one and two) she said essentially the same thing “we have no proof he’s being neglected only what Jamie says and he’s only 9 so we can’t go off his word, and because your son isn’t being physically abused there is nothing we can do to help you” a different investigator but the same answer we heard before. I asked the investor if she had talked to my ex-husband this time, she said no they didn’t have a correct number to reach him, I offered to give her the correct number but she said there was no need because she closed the case 3 weeks prior!

REPORT #4…While in his fathers care My son was in bed one night and found his dads crack pipe in his bed, Jamie’s bed, not his dads bed…A CRACK PIPE! Jamie took a picture of it and sent it to me. When he came home after the week at his dads, I asked what he wants to do with the picture he took, and told him that I would support him in whatever he decided. Jamie decided he wanted to take it to the police department and file a report, because as my son said “mom, if we take this to the police my dad might get in trouble but maybe he will get better, otherwise he’s going to die from drugs” I have never been prouder to be that boy’s mama, he was so strong and acted so grown-up and he made a very difficult decision! Anyway… I drove him to the PD and he filed a report. The police said they couldn’t do anything because it’s just a picture, but that they would file a CPS report and send the picture with the report, again I got the call from CPS and was told the same thing “There is no proof of neglect and he’s not being physically abused, but if Jamie’s father gets violent with him let us know immediately, then we can let him know he could maybe have his son taken out of his care and put into yours until we think he’s better”

** SIDE NOTE** Jamie’s grandpa, my ex-husbands father was found dead on July 31st 2020 under extremely suspicious circumstances, my ex-husband is the one that “found his body” with the back of his head bashed in and laying in a pool of blood. my ex husband screamed for his mother (he lives with his patents at 38 years old) to call 911, then what does my ex-husband do? He goes to his room for a few min, grabbed all his drugs and paraphernalia, got in his car and took off. The police attempted to get ahold of him but were unsuccessful, so finally they issued a warrant for his arrest on an old charge and he was found 12 hours later, he became and still is the only suspect in the suspicious death of his father, the investigation is on going to this day. The reason I share that is because my son was so devastated that he lost his grandpa (papa as he liked to be called) and Jamie’s immediate reaction was to say “did my dad do it” if that is Jamie’s first response he is obviously terrified of his father, because I didn’t even tell him that it is a “suspicious death” all I said was “papa passed away” due to his reaction I knew he needed some emotional and mental help, so once school started he began to see the school counselor twice a week and the school psychologist once a month. I tell this story because it’s ties into CPS reports 5, 6, 7, and 8.

REPORT #5…After the death of my son’s grandfather he started seeing his school counselor and the school psychologist as I stated above, after Jamie had been seeing them both for about six months I got a call from the counselor saying that they had filed a report with CPS because Jamison broke down and told them about all the drug usage that he sees at his father’s house, and they felt that that was a major issue and thought CPS needed to become involved immediately for Jamie’s safety. The CPS investigator came to our home and interviewed my family and I for about 2 hours and Jamie was able to tell her about everything that has gone on at his dad’s house over the years. I asked if CPS was going to step in this time and remove Jamie from his father’s care to keep him safe and allow me to have full custody of him, I begged for their help, even Jamie, who was 12 at this point pleaded with her while crying, to not make him go back to his dads house. Her answer to us was “No, we cant really help you, we can’t prove anything you’re telling us, we can’t prove that Jamie is being abused and we cannot prove that he’s being neglected. If Jamie were being physically abused and we had bruises or broken bones that would be enough proof in order to remove Jamison from his father’s care into yours completely” she then told us she was going to interview and confront Jamie’s father about the allegations Jamie made, but as usual CPS was unable to connect with my ex-husband either by going to his residence or calling him on his phone, so what happens when they are unable to get in contact with the parent that the entire investigation is about? CPS just closed the case and nothing was done for the fifth time.

REPORT #6…Report #6 happened in the same school year as report #5. about four weeks before school was out I got another call from the school counselor letting me know that they have filed another report with CPS because Jamie had shown them all of the pictures he had taken well at his dad’s house. The school was absolutely astonished that CPS did not remove my son from his father’s care and give him to me full time so they filed another report in the hopes that this would be the time that CPS would step up and protect Jamie. Obviously that didn’t happen for report #6 I didn’t even get a phone call from CPS to discuss the report that the school filed… the school felt that Jamie’s situation at his dads house was not just inappropriate, but dangerous to Jamie’s mental, emotional and physical well-being! CPS ignored my son’s safety for all investigations up to this report (#6) and they did NOTHING to help me save my son from his father. I DIDN’T EVEN GET A PHONE CALL FROM CPS, NOT ONE WORD FROM THEM. I thought Jamie’s situation and exposure to rampant drug dealing and drug usage couldn’t get much worse, but I was so so wrong…

REPORT #’S 7 & 8…. Reports #7 and #8 deal with the same issues as reports 1-6, but something major happened on May 14th, 2021 that blew my mind and deeply affected poor Jamie. My ex-husband and I had joint custody of Jamie, we switched every week and our ‘switch day’ was Fridays. On Friday May 14th 2021 Jamie was dropped off at school by his grandma, and I was going to pick him up after school and that would start my custody week…but in the early afternoon I got a call from Jamie’s school, I could hear my son sobbing in the background and I knew instantly something bad happened, my stomach dropped and then they told me what happened…here’s the shocking story…

**Jamie was in social studies class when he got thirsty, he went into his backpack looking for his water bottle, as he was digging around for his water bottle, he felt what he thought was a marble, because they used marbles in math class earlier that day, so he pulled the object out and it was definitely NOT a marble…nope, it was a crack pipe with meth inside it, not just residue but actual meth…a lot of meth!!! Jamie was stunned, absolutely terrified, and then he did something that made me so proud to be his mama…he stood up, walked out of his class without a word, and went straight to the councilors office to show her what he found in the bottom of his backpack and to turn it into the proper authorities…Once his counselor got over her shock of what she was looking at in the hand of a 13 year old child, she immediately took the pipe (with meth) to the principal who immediately called the police and then called me to tell me what Jamie found. Jamie was so devastated, more than devastated! Jamie’s father somehow lost his crack pipe IN HIS 13 YEAR OLD SON’S BACKPACK!!!!! The principal also called CPS and sent in another suspicion of abuse or neglect report, I picked Jamie up from school immediately after the call when we got home Jamie fell apart in my arms. He loves his father, he loves him but is afraid of him, he’s scared for him but also scared of him. This is the incident that shattered my son, he was so angry, so scared but he was so deeply hurt and to this day Jamie is a different person, the pain this caused my son has scarred him mentally and emotionally and I will be paying out of pocket for therapy for my son for years to come…anyway back to the story…The following Monday Jamie was interviewed by the Sheriff’s office for almost three hours. They had Jamie explain what he found and how he found it, then asked him if he has ever seen drugs when he was with his dad, to which Jamie said “every single day I’m with him” they asked if he has ever seen his dad deal drugs and he said yes, he told of how he had once gone with his dad to a house, and his dad told Jamie to stay in the car and not to come into the house, his father said he would be right back, however…Jamie waited in that car for almost two hours, alone. He called me and I immediately began looking for him, but since he didn’t know the address only the general area I was unable to find him. Back to the Sheriff’s interview…they asked him if he has ever heard any names mentioned by his dad that he has either sold drugs to or bought drugs from, Jamie was able to give them 3 names, he also told them that his dad buys a lot of drugs from a guy in an apartment building that was down the block from his school! The sheriff also asked me to explain how my ex-husband was always violent toward me while we were married and some of the sick and twisted things, he did to me or made me do during our marriage and after I left my marriage. When the interview was over, the Sheriff’s took the crack pipe as evidence so they can build a case against my ex-husband for abuse and neglect, the sheriff also said they would send their reports and evidence pictures along with an additional Suspension of Abuse and Neglect Report to CPS to hopefully have Jamie taken out of father’s care. The Sheriff’s office was very upset with CPS saying this could all have been avoided had CPS done their job after the 2nd report was filed! CPS again told us there is no way to prove that any abuse or neglect took place so all they could do is talk to Jamie’s dad which they never did because they couldn’t connect with him again, they couldn’t find him…they said there is no proof!? Apparently a child finding his fathers crack pipe and meth in his backpack isn’t enough proof of abuse or neglect according to CPS I was stunned.

The system absolutely failed my son, CPS told me over and over that because there is no proof of my ex-husband abusing or neglecting my son there is nothing they can do to help us and that I needed to get a lawyer! There have been 8 reports filed against my ex-husband for his treatment of our son, 8 reports in 5 years yet they did nothing to keep him safe or help us through the courts, none of the reports were filed by me so obviously its not a situation of a bitter ex-wife trying to hurt their ex-husband through his child! The reports were always filed by either a teacher, a school principal, school councilors and law enforcement so it’s obvious something is happening that is hurting my son, and they did nothing, they turned their backs on us over and over and due to their negligence my son was hurt he may not have been physically abusive although he has hit Jamie in the past and was extremely violent with me so who’s to say he wont become violent if something isn’t done to protect Jamie! This has deeply affected Jamie emotionally and mentally. It’s affected our entire family so deeply. By doing nothing CPS was saying it’s OK for a child to be around drugs all the time, it’s OK for a child to sit in a car for 2 hours while his dad goes into a strange house to buy drugs and get high, it’s OK for a child to find his dads crack pipe in his bed and then a couple years later find another crack pipe in his backpack in the middle of social studies, its OK for a child to know what a crack pipe is, what it’s used for and what meth looks like and smells like when smoked, it’s OK for a child to find dirty needles in his bathroom, it’s OK for a child to know what track marks look like and what caused them, they say all of that us OK but…if Jamie’s dad slapped him CPS would take him out of his father’s care. What’s worse is being told over and over there is no proof, but Jamie has taken some pictures (which I will include) the Sheriff’s office has given them pictures, Jamie has opened up and told his story which is incredibly painful for him because he has to re-live each incident that happened with his father, yet CPS always says there is no proof? I would think that a crack pipe and meth found in a backpack in the middle of Social Studies is proof something very bad is happening. They told us over and over that because Jamie isn’t being beaten they can’t do anything. They neglected my son and due to their negligence Jamie has been hurt! They are called CHILD PROTECTIVE SERVICES yet they did NOTHING TO PROTECT MY CHILD!!!!! They allowed it to get to this point and they should be ashamed of themselves.

You may wonder why I didn’t get a lawyer and fight for my son sooner but all I can say is that I had no money and I still have no money! I am a single mother to two children and own my own businesses, so money is so tight for us that I couldn’t afford a lawyer! I tried find someone to do it pro bono, but had no luck, I also kept thinking CPS would do their job and help to keep Jamie safe by removing Jamie from his father’s care and allowing me to have soul custody, but I was wrong… all they ever did was turn their backs on us because my son wasn’t being physically abused by his father. As a mother it has been incredibly painful to see what Jamie has lived through and being powerless to stop it, I listened to my son hysterically pleading with me to not make him go back to his fathers every other week…I can tell you I feel like the worst parent alive because I had to knowingly force my son into a dangerous situation every other week, I will live with that guilt until the day I die! After the May 14th incident I knew I had to find a lawyer to help us so I drained my bank accounts and then my retirement account, so I have nothing left but my children’s college funds and I don’t want to touch those, so I came to you begging for help! I was granted an emergency interim order for full custody of Jamie once I got a lawyer, but we are still in court constantly to make my full custody permanent, but I can’t afford to keep my lawyer! I’m so incredibly terrified that when we do go to court again I will be alone because I have no way of continuing to keep my attorney!!! I am begging anyone to please help me keep my son safe. I can not allow him to go back to such a toxic environment, I literally fear for Jamie’s life if he has to go back to his dads house every other week. It’s so sad that the only person that has done anything to help keep my son safe is my lawyer and only because I paid to retain him. I had to pay every dime I had for someone to finally stand beside me and fight for Jamie! My goal is $15,000-$20,000, those numbers are so ridiculous to me but along with trying to keep my son safe I need to keep my business going to generate income for rent, car payments, groceries, and all my other bills. I’m on the verge of losing everything I have worked for and I am so scared that Jamie will have to go back to his dad 50/50 and he will hurt Jamie for speaking out about all the negligence and abuse! His father is 38, lives in his moms basement, hasn’t has a job in 10 years (no joke), is a major drug user and drug dealer, doesn’t care about Jamie’s exposure to all the drug stuff, and he’s the only suspect in the suspicious death of own father (Jamie’s grandfather), however…his family is wealthy and after his dad “died” (murdered) my ex got a huge life insurance payout so he can afford to retain his attorney, I however can not. I need financial help to keep my son safe and to keep my business open, and without help I won’t be able to do either of those things and if I lose my son I lose everything! Please I am begging PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE HELP anything, no matter how small is so incredibly appreciated. I’m sorry this is so long, it took me a over a week to type it up and edit it, but I wanted it to be as detailed as possible to help the reader/donor understand the nightmare we have been living every day for the past 5 years, I wanted you to hear Jamie’s story because it needs to be told, I tried to make this long long letter as close to perfect as I could get, because this is a huge deal to me, and if someone reads this and decides to help we will be forever thankful!

My poor son is only 13 but he has been through so much, his father failed him, law enforcement failed him and CPS failed him. My son asked me the other day why won’t anyone help us? Why am I not as important as other kids? CPS had the opportunity…no they had 8 different opportunities to do something to protect my son but they turned their backs on us. You hear on the news all the time about “America’s drug epidemic” but how could America not have a drug epidemic when agencies like CPS allow a child to be exposed to drugs and drug usage regularly, what they are saying is its OK to expose children to drugs for years and years as long as that child isn’t being physically abused!!! What will happen to those children when they grow up seeing drugs regularly…they will think “my dad did drugs all the time so they can’t be that bad” then that child will become an addict also…CPS is creating the monster that will be punished later in life when all that needed to be done to save that child is get him away from the person that is exposing them to all the drugs!!! Instead they walk away from that child knowingly allowing that child to be in a horrible situation! If I am able to get any financial help from posting this letter I will be able to continue paying my lawyer so I can be granted full custody of Jamie, which will keep him safe! If by the grace of God I have any money left over I plan on taking CPS to court for not protecting my son, Jamie will need therapy beyond what he gets at school for all the mental and emotional damage his father has caused him , all that damage could have been avoided had Child Protective Services protected my child, it’s a story that needs to be told, I might even go to the news or post this letter on Facebook because people need to know how badly my son was treated by CPS and how they knowingly kept my son in a dangerous situation over and over again. Maybe by getting the word out there we could make a difference and protect another child in a similar situation!
Thank you for reading this letter to the very end, I know it was super long so thank you to anyone that took the time to read our story in full . I’m hoping to raise enough to pay my lawyer so he can continue to help me keep Jamie safe, I’m also hoping to raise enough to help keep my business afloat, I’m hoping to raise enough to take CPS to court for negligence that caused harm to my son! I’m also hoping to raise enough to give my children the life they deserve! As I said before, this story is 100% true, if more proof is desired I will gladly give it! I am including pictures of the things Jamie has found at his fathers house as well as some court documents to prove we really are fighting for my son’s safety! I am arguing with CPS to get copies of all the records and investigations but they say they can’t give them to me due to privacy reasons…I’m sorry but those records are about my child who I at this moment have soul custody of, those records are ours but they don’t want to hand them over, my lawyer thinks it’s because the records will prove CPS’s negligence over the last 5 years and they know if given to a lawyer they could be in huge trouble, so if I should ever be given those records I will find a way to post them with this letter if at all possible. Thank you again from the bottom of my heart for any help. I am so scared of my son being hurt anymore! This whole situation has caused my family so much pain, I feel I have failed Jamie…the very first and most important job of every parent is to keep their children safe, and I haven’t been able to do that I have put every dime I have into protecting my son but it has made life hard! I have another child to take care of, but even she is terrified for her big brother too! Please help us, please? If you can’t donate and just read Jamie’s story that’s perfectly OK, all I ask is that you tell others about what happened to him and what continues to happen! Maybe if enough people hear our story changes can be made to ensure something this horrific never happens to anyone else! One person’s voice is easy to ignore but a crowd of voices is a different story! Thank you all so much!!!

https://www.paypal.me/determinedmama