Our family of three is facing a series of sudden crises, and we urgently need your help to get back on our feet. My name is Trish, and I am reaching out on behalf of my 57-year-old husband, who is dealing with a third severe Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI), and our 14-year-old son, who is on the Autism Spectrum. Over the last several months, our lives have been completely upended by a devastating car wreck, sudden eviction, and an incredibly unfair vehicle repossession that has left us completely stranded.

The crisis that changed our lives was a major car wreck that turned our world upside down. The accident while he was rushing to me to the ER after local EMS informed us of an hour wait for an ambulance, resulted in my husband suffering his third Traumatic Brain Injury. This injury has left him with permanent intellectual disabilities, making it impossible for him to work or manage daily tasks alone. 

Because of the massive medical crisis and the sudden loss of stability, our family fell behind and faced a heartbreaking eviction from our home. We had to pack up our lives and try to find a safe place to regroup while managing round-the-clock care for both my husband and our autistic son. Our car insurer erroneously canceled our policy before the wreck when they would not accept a payment from anyone but my husband, who was not able to, due to the intellectual damage he’s suffered. They reinstated the policy but refuse to renew and pay out for the wreck until the roughly $650 past-due amount for the reinstatement is paid.

Desperate for reliable transportation to get my husband to his doctors and my son to his therapies, we purchased a vehicle. Unfortunately, because of my husband's visible intellectual disabilities, he was taken advantage of by a predatory auto dealer and their finance company. We ran into a bank institution error, and when the bank reversed it, I immediately contacted the finance company. They acknowledged the situation and gave us an explicit "promise to pay" extension date to fix the issue. We thought we were safe. Instead, on the exact morning of our agreed payment extension date, they broke their word and repossessed our vehicle anyway. That morning was also the day we had to sign the lease on the new residence to let us maintain housing. We have filed for Chapter 13 bankruptcy to legally fight this fallout, protect our family, and stop further financial damage. 

Without a car, our family is entirely trapped. We cannot get my husband to his essential neurology, cardiology, and general medical appointments. We cannot get our 14-year-old son to his critical autism therapies and care appointments. We cannot physically travel to bankruptcy court and attend mandatory legal hearings and defend ourselves. And I cannot return to work as scheduled because I cannot get to work without a car due to the location of my employer and the costs incurred to try to rideshare to work daily. We cannot manage basic, everyday necessities like going to the grocery store or pharmacy. 

Our financial goals to recovery include: $6,000 for a down payment to get a car from Carvana; Keep current on renjob; Pay the past-due amount to USAA so they will honor their policy and pay for the costs of the wreck that started this; Get through Chapter 13 as best we can; Get my husband’s recovery to the point he can return to work; Get me back to work full-time ASAP; And get my son back into his autism programs.t for 6 months until I can get off disability and return to work full-time by getting a remote 

We are fighting hard every single day to rebuild our lives, but we cannot do it without wheels. Because of our credit damage from the eviction and repossession, we need a down payment of at least $6,000 to secure a safe, reliable vehicle from a legitimate, trustworthy source. Carvana has preapproved us with at least that much as a down payment.

Every single dollar raised through this campaign will go directly toward this vehicle's down payment and the bills to keep us afloat until we can both get back to work so we can restore our mobility, get to our medical care, show up to court to fight for our rights, and get to fully recovered and employed self-sufficiency again.

If you are unable to donate, please consider sharing our story with your friends, family, and community networks. Your kindness, prayers, and support mean everything to us during the darkest chapter our family has ever faced.

Thank you from the bottom of our hearts, The Makowski Family