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Hi there. Like so many of you, we have a family and have fallen on the hardest times in our lives. My husband & I have been married for 9 years and have 3 beautiful children ages 7, 4, & 3. I have been receiving disablilty for about 2 1/2 years for multiple conditions that began when I was young. I had bone cancer when I was 15 and have had several surgeries since on my left humerus (which really isn't mine) and in 2002 had the donor bone removed and replaced with titanium prosthesis. We overcame a huge amount of medical bills from this alone to purchase our first home in January of '05 and after 6 months in our new home, things took a terrrible turn. My health became so bad that caring for myself was difficult. I have Fibromyalgia, Arthritis, and am being treated for Lupus though Dr's aren't sure what to make of all the strange test results and bizarre symptoms and fevers. I have suffered with Chronic Fatigue and Major Depression that have been worse than I can ever remember and with little relief from the overwhelming feelings of pain and mental exhaustion I have all but given up. It is so hard to look at my kids because they deserve better. After having so many health problems at once, our health insurance premiums more than doubled each month and the following month my husband's first wife decided after she had a new child with her new husband that she wanted more child support from my husband. Since we live in Wisconsin where the laws have not yet been reformed, our children do not exist in the eyes of the court. Only children from a first marriage count. So her request was granted and even though his ex-wife does not work to provide half the support, she would now get an add'l $650 per month to total $1000 per month and Custody is still joint so we still provide clothing and food for them for the 3-4 days a week that they are here.

Financially, we were devastated and had nothing left to support ourselves. We had no credit cards, no other debt besides our vehicle we purchased used which was only $240 per month. We tried everything to save our home. We had worked so hard to get here to have it taken away like this. We started selling things on eBay. Our kids clothing, toys, our clothing and anything that we could live without that we could make a few dollars on but we didn't have much so eventually that also ran out. We rummage saled for cheap things to sell and kept it going to put food on the table and gas in the tank but that was about it. Now it's barely enough to cover gas at these prices. We had sought advice from an atty who had given us possibly the worst advice we could have received and he took our entire savings including everything we ever had for our kids and we filed Chapter 13 on our house only which ended up costing us dearly and leaving us with nothing except dragging out the inevitable and giving false hope. We have now learned that we are too poor for our house and have to leave it in 3 weeks but are too 'rich' to get any kind of help for food etc from the government since they calculate income BEFORE taxes and could care less that my husband takes home a ridiculous $250 for TWO WEEKS of work as a Corrections Sergeant wih a gross check of over a thousand dollars. After health insurance and child support that is all that is left. Add that to my $700 PER MONTH and it is not enought to survive. Utilities, water, phone, food and we can't imagine where we are going to go in three short weeks. We are going to lose everything that we have. We have no place to go. We can't even get an apartment because we have no money and we can't even afford rent. How is it that we are too rich for help?? I love my husband and my family more than anything and I don't know what I would do without them but God forgive me, I have actually thought of divorcing so we can put a roof over our heads and feed our kids. But I am a Christian and have to believe that God will not fail us. I just don't know what life holds for us and it is so painful to think of right now. If it were just my husband and I we would survive. But our children are innocent and don't deserve this.

I don't envy anyone else and I am in no way trying to sound jealous because I am truly not. I know that what I have in family is worth much more and would not trade it for a million dollars, but only to show a point of fairness I want to say that my husbands ex-wife and new husband have 2 new vehicles (one being a SAAB) and a camper, a home, a pool, and many other luxuries that we don't. We don't ask for luxuries and don't want them. We only ask for what we need to get by. We just want the roof over our heads. My husband pleaded with her and told her how this would affect us (he also provides health insurance for them) and despite the fact that she was not in need of the money, she was 'entitled' to it so she went after it since the law let her. She admitted that she did't use it for the 2 kids but put it into a savings account for college someday. So while we lose everything she doesn't need it for their immediate needs and doesn't work to provide 50% of their care as the law states. It is a gross injustice that needs to be overhauled but no one wants to take it on. So families like us lose everything. And my husband is stil a wonderful father to ALL of his kids.

Anyway, I apologize for the long story, but I felt a great need for you to really get to know us and what we stand for. 

Thank you from the bottom of our hearts for taking the time to learn a little about our family and God Bless you in the upcoming holiday season. We will continue to pray for peace and for our miracle. 

~Heidi

Loving Wife & Mother