My name is Karen, and writing this is one of the hardest things I’ve ever done. I’m 46 years old, and for the first time in my life, I’m admitting openly that I cannot do this alone anymore. I’m scared of what my future will look like if I don’t get help now. I’m scared of growing older without stability, without family around me, and without the chance to finally become the person I’ve always tried to be.This month marks 25 years since my mum died. My last memory of her is performing CPR while waiting for the paramedics. That moment never left me. It shaped every decision, every mistake, every year that followed. My dad remarried quickly, and although I understand why, I felt like the world moved forward while I stayed frozen in grief. I tried therapy, but the pain was too big, and I slipped into pills and later drugs just to feel numb.I’ve spent years trying to rebuild myself. I went back to university, studied counselling skills, and helped run a drug and alcohol recovery programme. For a while, I felt like I was becoming someone my mum would have been proud of. But life has a way of knocking you down again when you least expect it. Epilepsy, depression, isolation — they all crept in and pulled the rug from under me.My little brother has a beautiful life in London, and I’m proud of him, but I barely see him. I don’t have children. I don’t have a partner. And last year, I lost my closest companion — my cat, also named Monkee — after 17 years together. Her loss left a silence in my home that I still don’t know how to fill.But even with all of this, I still believe I have something to give. I have ideas for a community project in Aberdeen to support people affected by addiction — something Scotlandand the UK desperately needs. I know what it feels like to fall apart, and I know what it takes to climb back up. That insight is rare, and I want to use it to help others.But right now, I’m drowning in debt and instability. I can’t build anything for anyone until I get my own life back on solid ground. I’m asking for help — not because I want pity, but because I want a chance. I want someone out there to believe that my story isn’t finished yet.Your support wouldn’t just change my life. It would help me change the lives of others who feel as lost as I once did.Thank you for reading, and for believing that people can rise again.
My Paypal link is paypal.me/rokpt4