How My Donors Saved Me From Foreclosure
And gave me hope in addition to a much needed financial boost
The way my readers and donors came through for me left me speechless and humbled and in tears of gratitude. The donations I’ve received made it possible for me to cover the April’s mortgage payment and thus, at least for now, saved me from becoming homeless.
Can you imagine how that feels like?
When despite the enormous efforts to earn at least a modest living you don’t know how you are going to make it. When you’ve been struggling for four years and then reached the point of not being able to pay even the most basic bills… So there I was, staring at the numbers and trying to cope with the fact that — unless a miracle happens — I was about to become homeless.
In case you’ve missed it, I wrote about how it came to this in No, I Won’t Be Just Fine. I was also able to finally write about The event (sacking) and how it happened in How to Sack Properly — The Smart Manager’s Manual.
I wasn’t accepted into the Medium Partnership program that pays for posts of the selected few writers, and have — yet again — received no response to any of my job applications. I then created the donation button in desperation, not knowing what to expect or do any longer. I just knew there were no options left for me other than publicly asking for help and support.
I wrote about it in How I Created That Fancy Donation Button and Other Useful Shit: The Beginner’s Guide to Medium #5.
When a miracle happens
At first, nothing happened and then the donations started to drip in, one by one. The most amazing part of this was that they just about reached the amount I needed to make it through April. It was unbelievable, really.
All in all, I received 20 donations from 16 generous readers. After the PayPal fees (they are pretty steep), I was able to withdraw 275.81 Euros, which was just enough to get me out of a rut — at least for this month.
I’m able to breathe again, the heavy lump in my throat backed off, for a blissful moment I’m not paralyzed with the horror of becoming homeless and thus better able to think clearly, inspired to keep writing and coming up with new ideas in search of solutions.
This is what money buys — food and shelter and a pacifying sense of security.
And then there are the things money cannot buy, such as the above words of encouragement that made me see I’m on the right track and writing is the right choice for me. There were quite a few of such messages and they gave me wings.
I’m not our of the woods yet, but you, who have helped, are giving me hope for the future and the strength to keep going. Words cannot express how grateful I am to you, but deeds can. You have believed in me and I will do everything in my power to not disappoint you and justify your gifts.
I’m now working on two books I plan to publish this year and my donors will be the first to receive them for free. And that, hopefully, is just the beginning.
It’s easy to show support for my writing: click the heart, follow me, donate by clicking the blue PayPal logo, subscribe to my newsletter below, sponsor my posts, hire me — I write and I’m looking for work. Thanks!
Mateja started to write short stories at the age of ten and later became a freelance writer, radio personality, and counselor. Her life resembles a roller coaster ride full of ups and downs and some pretty wild turns. Among other things, her car was destroyed by tanks and she survived several brushes with death. She graduated in psychology from Arizona State University and is an editor at Transform the Pain and Personal Brain Whisperer. Her secret love is writing weird stories for The Rabbit Is In. Connect with Mateja on LinkedIn.
