Thread:Hannahc12/@comment-28694170-20160701194649

Hannah - first if all, it took incredible courage for you to reach out to us, and I hope the many words of support and encouragement have given you some hope that there is a light at the end of the tunnel. ..

Here is my story. . . 9 years ago, I found myself in so much debt that I could not afford to feed myself. I had purchased my house with borrowed money as part of the down payment. I had always been good with my money, so I thought I would be okay. I had a good paying job when I bought the house, but ended up quitting because I was being bullied by my supervisor. I took some time off to travel, and when I got back, I finally took a hard look at the growing debt, and took a gulp. I found a job that did not really pay enough to meet my expenses, and found a part-time job that helped. Every month, I was going deeper and deeper in debt. I was in such denial of the enormity of the situation that I could not admit to anybody, including myself, how bad things had gotten. I ended up losing my job because they let me go for poor attendance. Things started to spiral out of control after I lost my job. I couldn't afford to pay my mortgage, my car payments, or my utility bills. My car got taken back, my utilities got cut off, and I came very close to losing my house to foreclosure. I hadn't told any of my family or friends how bad things had gotten, and pride prevented me from reaching out for help. My sister had a dream that I had committed suicide. As my phone had been cut off, she had no way of reaching me. Another friend of mine suggested she call the police to check on me. When the police came to my house, I didn't answer the door. I thought it was the foreclosure people who were going to take my house away from me. My sister insisted that they break down my door. The back door had some glass in it, so they broke the glass to get in. When I realized that it was the police, and that my sister was worried about me, I felt terrible. I ended up being treated in the hospital for depression. While it sucked at the time, it was the best thing that could have happened to me. I met some incredible people at the hospital that helped me get back on my feet.

Once I finally allowed others to help me, the situation improved tremendously. I borrowed money from my family and friends to get the utilities reconnected and had full intentions of selling my house. Through my mortgage broker, I got connected with somebody who helps people in my situation. I took out a second mortgage on my house, consolidated all of my debts, and bought myself some time. Foreclosure law in Canada is such that if I made the mortgage payments, I was able to get myself out of the foreclosure process. I found a great paying job and a part-time job. I honestly did not know how it was all going to work out, but at least I was back in control of the situation. I still have my house, but it took me admitting that I needed help and accepting that help to get to where I am today.

If there are any similarities to what you are facing, please reach out to those who have offered help, and get the ball rolling. It may seem overwhelming at first, but if you take it one day at a time, it will get easier. Take care of yourself, Hannah. If there is anything that I can do to help you, please let me know. 💗💜💖💛💙💚❤️ 