I never thought I would be writing something like this.

I am a very private person, and asking strangers for financial help is honestly one of the hardest things I have ever done. My family has always been proud and independent. We have never been the kind of people to ask others for money or tell people when we were struggling.

But we have reached a point where I feel like I have to try.

My parents have debts of their own, although they have always kept their finances private from us. I don’t know the exact amount, and I don’t want to make up a number. What I do know is that the financial pressure has become overwhelming.

My father used to earn a five-figure salary and was able to support our family comfortably enough to meet our monthly needs. We were never a wealthy family and never lived an extravagant lifestyle. His income simply allowed us to live without constantly worrying about whether we could afford our next bill.

Then his company suddenly closed, and he was retrenched.

It took him about a year to find another job. When he finally did, his income was around 70% lower than what he had previously earned.

He now works a physically demanding work, including climbing tanks and boats. He works hard because he knows our family depends on him.

What makes this especially difficult for me is that my father is a heart patient. He suffered a heart attack because of an 80% blockage, and after recovering, he was also diagnosed with diabetes.

I worry about him constantly.

I worry that he is working too much because he feels responsible for keeping our family afloat. I worry about the stress he carries every day. And I am scared that he will push himself too far while trying to take care of all of us.

My mother is also unable to work. Her eyesight has deteriorated to the point where she has difficulty seeing properly. She went to an optician because of her vision, but her eyesight was too blurry for her to work safely.

She also has a persistent cough that we have not been able to properly investigate because we simply cannot afford the medical expenses and we do not have insurance.

Meanwhile, our household bills continue to fall behind.

Our utilities are overdue. Our telephone and internet services have already been cut because we were unable to keep up with the payments. There are still debts that we have not been able to clear, and creditors have come to our home with letters of demand.

But the money itself isn’t what hurts me the most.

It is what the financial pressure has done to my family.

We used to be very close.

We used to take a small family trip every year. We were never a rich family, but those trips were something we looked forward to.

We used to go out for birthdays and buy each other small gifts.

We even used to spend weekends playing games together and laughing.

We had to sell our game console.

We don’t eat together as a family anymore. My father works a lot, and the rest of us often stay in our own rooms. We have slowly become more distant, not because we stopped loving each other, but because everyone is tired, stressed and worried about money.

That is what I am trying to change.

I am setting a fundraising goal of $50,000.

I know that is a lot to ask, and I don’t know if we will reach it. But I have to try.

The funds will first be used to address our most urgent overdue household bills and debts.

I am not asking anyone to fix my family.

We just need some help.

I want my father to be able to work without carrying the weight of our family’s financial problems on his shoulders.

I want my mother to be able to get the medical attention she needs.

I want us to be able to sit down and eat together again.

I want to celebrate birthdays without worrying about whether we can afford them.

I want us to be able to take a small family trip again someday.

I want to hear my family laughing together again.

I know not everyone can afford to donate, and I completely understand that. Even $5, $10 or $100 would mean something to us. Every contribution would be a small step toward helping us get out of this situation.

If you cannot donate, simply sharing this fundraiser privately with someone you trust would also mean more to us than you know.

I have chosen not to share my family’s names, ages, photographs or identifying information because I want to protect their dignity. I am not looking for publicity, media attention, influencers or for this fundraiser to go viral.

I have never asked strangers for financial help before.

But I am willing to put my embarrassment aside if it means I can help my family find our way back to each other.

Thank you for taking the time to read our story.

I’m not asking you to fix my family.

We just need some help.

And more than anything, I just want my family to be one again.

If you need any documents or proof regarding our situation, please don’t hesitate to reach out. I’m more than happy to provide them.