I never thought I’d be in this position, but life took an unexpected and terrifying turn, and I’m doing everything I can to keep going.

I’m a single mother, and for a long time, my life was stable. I worked as an in-home caregiver for the elderly, earning a good income, while my son (19) was finishing his online schooling after struggling in traditional school.

A few months ago, everything changed. My son started acting strangely—staying up all night, pacing, and talking to himself. At first, I thought he was just thinking out loud, but then I realized he was having full conversations with people who weren’t there. He wasn’t sleeping, he seemed lost in his own world, and his paranoia was growing. One night, he tried to run away from home while in a full-blown hallucination, convinced that he was in danger.

I was terrified. He refused to stay with me at first, so I reached out to my pastor, who took him in for a week. In that time, we took him to a psychiatrist, and he was diagnosed with depression and schizophrenia. I was in complete shock. But more than anything, I was scared to leave him alone at home. I had no one to watch him, and my job required me to be away for long hours. I couldn’t risk him having another episode while I was gone, so I made the difficult decision to leave my job and focus on supporting him.

I had some savings, which covered rent for a few months, and I tried working online, but the income was inconsistent. Eventually, I fell behind on rent. Desperate, I took out a title loan on my car with TitleMax to make ends meet. I managed to keep up with the payments for a while through gig work, but when I couldn’t pay rent, I received a notice to vacate. I had never been in a situation like that before. I had no choice but to leave with my son and stay in a motel while trying to get back on my feet.

Since then, I’ve been working hard to rebuild. I started doing gig work on TaskRabbit, primarily house cleaning, and I’ve been making progress. I can now cover rent, bills, and groceries—but that’s it. The title loan is a huge burden, and the monthly payments constantly put me behind. Sometimes, I can’t even afford car insurance, but I have to keep driving because my car is essential for work.

I know that with time, I’ll be stable again. My income is growing, my client base is expanding, and I’m optimistic about the future. But right now, this debt is holding me back. If I could pay off the title loan, it would relieve so much stress and help me fully focus on moving forward.

If anyone could help, I would be beyond grateful. Every little bit helps. Thank you for reading my story.