"For the first time in my life, I'm asking for help", writes Anna Marie Dark in a heartbreaking Facebook post. "This isn't for me – it's for my children. I can't bear to watch them suffer anymore". Anna's story is one of daily survival. A young mother of two who had to flee an abusive relationship with her children to a women's shelter, now struggles to feed them. "I go to every possible place that offers food assistance", she writes, "but Canadian law allows them to donate expired food. I've gotten food poisoning three times from it. I don't even offer it to my children".
"My story begins at the end," she shares painfully. "I'm stuck in Canada with two children, one with Level 3 autism, and my daughter is waiting for diagnosis. I can't leave". Her health condition adds to the difficulty – she's been diagnosed with Ehlers-Danlos syndrome, a disease causing chronic pain and joint hypermobility.
The path there was filled with suffering. "During that time, I lived with a terrible woman", she recalls. "Her words are burned into my memory: 'If I had known you needed heating, I wouldn't have rented to you.' This was exactly when my pain was worst in the cold… and I didn't even turn on the heat when she was home".
"What I've been through since my son was born could fill an entire book. 'How to Make Someone Suicidal in Three Years'", she wrote. The situation deteriorated to the point where she ended up in the emergency room with suicidal thoughts. "I couldn't see how I would get out of this situation and move forward in life".
On October 30th, Anna gathered her courage and took the difficult step – she fled with her children to a shelter for victims of domestic violence. In December, she managed to find a rental apartment, but the struggle is far from over. "Almost my entire salary goes to rent", she explains. "I can barely make it through the month. We lack food".
Due to an ongoing closed welfare legal procedure, Anna currently cannot receive her full benefits or the child support that could help her survive. "I have all the evidence", she noted in the post, "and the process is going in a good direction, but meanwhile, I must feed my children".
"As a little girl, I never received help. My parents weren't exactly a loving family that cared for me. I got used to depending only on myself. But this time it's different – it's not just me. These are my children", she shares.
In a final effort of hope, Anna launched a GoFundMe campaign to raise $5,000 – an amount that would cover their basic needs for the next two and a half months. "I hope that after this period, I can finally receive the help I deserve in the form of child support, and won't need to be on the receiving end anymore", she writes. "Help me believe that it's okay to ask for help", she concludes her post with a plea.
