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9/11/23 UPDATE: Thank you. We exceeded the goal! It’s a miracle. Thank you all
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Hi, I’m Nick Ruggiero, a close friend of Samsara, the talented singer-songwriter. Please allow me 2-3 minutes to tell you her story because Samsara desperately needs our help.
WHO IS SAMSARA?
Samsara was born in the UK to Irish parents. She moved to the
US from Ireland with a backpack and $200 at age 20 in 1985. She
currently lives in Maryland, just outside DC, with her 17-year-old
cat, Rikki. Montgomery County, MD is one of the most expensive
counties in the US.
HOW DO I KNOW SAMSARA?
I met Samsara when she was an executive assistant for a tax
accounting firm, working incredibly long hours. I admired her music
and her financial generosity to others during the pandemic.
In June 2021, everything changed. Samsara lost her job
unexpectedly. She couldn’t take the COVID-19 vaccine because of a
medical condition called Mast Cell
Activation Syndrome. She has letters from 3 doctors saying it
would be life-threatening. But employers in the DC area reject her
for being unvaccinated and despite applying to 20+ jobs a day for
the last 26 months, she has still not found a job.
(
Interestingly, she became a US citizen in January 2022 without
needing the vaccine.)
Samsara has faced many challenges in life, from childhood abuse to domestic violence. She ran away from home at 16 and put herself through college in Ireland. She developed a seizure disorder from a brain injury, due to an accident when she was 22. As a result, she can never drive. She has Crohn’s Disease and Celiac Disease. She escaped from an abusive husband at age 45 after he tried to kill her. In 2016, she was told she had a year to live from a brain tumor. She refused to give up.
With all this, I’m only scratching the surface of her amazing journey. She’s incredibly strong and has an unstoppable spirit. She is 58, not quite old enough for social security, and not disabled enough to receive disability.
WHAT IS SAMSARA DOING NOW?
Since losing her job, she released 23 songs with 1.3+ million
streams on Spotify but
they only pay $0.003 each. She recorded and produced them herself.
She played at a local restaurant for $50 twice a week until it
closed in June. Most venues won’t let her play without vaccination.
She set up a Private
Community for fans, designed merchandise, does freelance online transcription
work, and writes lyrics and jingles. But none of these have paid
much yet.
She has been living on credit cards and a small settlement from her former employer for unpaid overtime. She was forced to settle for a fraction, just so she could survive. Her apartment is in terrible disrepair. It’s unsafe and infested with cockroaches and mice. See the 'More' tab option near the contribute button for photos that show the horrific living conditions in her apartment. Her landlord doesn’t care. They raised her rent $200 allegedly for utilities, but then charged her an additional $39, even though she doesn't turn her AC on very often.
She eats once every three days — food she gets from the food bank.
She has no family and few friends who live far away.
She’s all alone and at the
end of the line.
WHY DID I START THIS CAMPAIGN?
I started this campaign to help Samsara move. I’ll drive to her
and drive a moving truck to Florida. But she needs help with the
truck rental, gas, security deposit, and rent and living expenses
until she gets on her feet. More than anything, she needs to get
away from the dangerous area and environment where she is living.
She needs a fresh start.
Your donations will help Samsara overcome these temporary
difficulties and continue sharing her beautiful songs. You will give
her a chance to start over and survive and thrive again! Please give
what you can. No amount is too small.
REWARDS
I got some stickers printed on sale. For a $10 donation,
Samsara will send you custom-designed stickers by mail. For a $50
donation, she will send you a finished "This Is
Samsara" CD. For $100, she will send you a signed
"This Is Samsara" CD and handwritten lyrics.
Who knows? Maybe someday, they’ll be worth a lot!
Thank you from the bottom of my heart! Samsara’s and Rikki's lives are worth saving!
PLEASE SHARE THIS CAMPAIGN WITH YOUR FRIENDS ON SOCIAL MEDIA, BY EMAIL AND TEXT!
Perks
Highlights
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The photos below show some of the horrific living conditions in Samsara’s apartment. Her rent is currently $2179 and, this month, they added an extra $39 in utilities. That's considered "cheap" rent in Montgomery County, MD.
KITCHEN:
These are "repairs" of a leak over Samsara's kitchen
sink that occurred in April 2023. They ripped up cardboard from an
Amazon box. Cockroaches and mice come through. Samsara sprays it with
Raid Insect repellant and squirts Combat Coackroach Gel around. Many
still get through.
These are the holes the cardboard "covers".
KITCHEN CUPBOARDS:
This is the mold inside the kitchen cupboards which have never been replaced. Samsara is afraid to use them for dishes or food. She sprays them daily with vinegar.
BATHROOM:
These are photos of Samsara's bathroom ceiling and non-functional vent over the shower. A leak from upstairs happened in October of 2021. It has never been repaired. Mold grows daily. Samsara sprays it with Tilex and then, vinegar. But it grows back.
DEAD COCKROACH:
This is one of the many cockroaches she kills every day. Every time, I'm on the phone with her, she's trying to kill a roach.
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