In Support of The De La Cruz Family

Reaching out to ask for help is not easy whatsoever, but we have gotten to a point that we’re barely making ends meet. 

Last fall, my husband and I unexpectedly lost our car due to an engine issue. We were not in a financial space to replace the engine due to still catching up on bills after a long period of unemployment for me. As Vegas is not a city where it’s easy to be carless, we ended up obtaining a rental car through Uber so my husband could drive for extra cash. 

In the winter, following a mental health crisis, I entered into a partial hospitalization program that lasted until the early spring. Following my discharge from the program, I was let go from my job. Since being let go, I have been trying to find a new job, both part time and full time, both in person and remote, to no avail, despite not feeling 100% ready to return to work. I continue to utilize my professional support system, including seeing my therapist 1-2 times a week, and thankfully my husband's work benefits take care of a lot of the costs. However, only having one income while I receive the ongoing help I need has taken its toll. 

My husband, Efrain, works his fingers to the bone to try and provide for us in the toughest of times. While maintaining a full time job and making sure I got to treatment every day, he has been driving for Uber for extra money during every spare minute he could, often sacrificing sleep, food, and his own mental health to keep our household afloat. Eventually, with his best efforts, rising costs of literally EVERYTHING, me still being unemployed, regular bills, and the weekly cost of the rental (between $350-400 a week, before gas), we got to a point that it was no longer sustainable to keep the rental car. It was draining him mentally, and it was hurting more than it was helping financially—plus, the aforementioned costs made it impossible to save even a dollar, as every dollar we could normally spare was being accounted for. Last week, we returned the rental car, in the hopes that we’ll be a bit more stable without that weekly extraneous payment, but we’re in a transitional period with no savings to fall back on that is taking its toll on us. Aside from all this, our beloved senior dog, Maiya, has been diagnosed with a grade 3 heart murmur, which her vet believes can be attributed to her needing her teeth cleaned—something we haven’t been able to account for with mounting financial stresses. And we know now, that this might end up being an enormous bill that we haven’t even been able to think about yet. We are also a month behind on rent, but with a communicative and understanding landlord, we have been paying what we can to get our balance down to keep the roof over our heads.

At this time, we are seeking assistance in whatever way, shape, or form that can be mustered, as things have reached a critical point where we’re not entirely sure what the next six months will look like. Even a kind word or a share will help more than you know. 

For full transparency, here is what we hope the funds raised here will be used for or towards: