🗣️ Yes, I’m Soliciting Help. And I Refuse to Be Ashamed of That.
Every time I post my GoFundMe link, there’s a moment of hesitation.
Not because I’m uncertain about my need.
Not because I’m unclear about my intentions.
But because somewhere out there, someone is ready to whisper:
“This is just begging.”
Or: “Why are you asking strangers for money?”
Or the classic: “Stop soliciting.”
Let’s clear something up.
Yes—I am soliciting help.
I am asking for support, publicly and directly, in the way the internet and society now allows people like me to survive.
And I refuse to feel shame about that.
💡 Crowdfunding Is Not Scamming. It’s Not Manipulation. It’s Not Laziness.
It’s storytelling with purpose.
It’s asking without privilege.
It’s hope made visible.
It’s what you do when systems fail you—when insurance doesn’t cover the cost of illness, when being disabled means navigating broken institutions, when full-time caretaking isn’t recognized as labor.
🤝 Soliciting Isn’t the Problem. Shame Is.
The real problem isn’t asking. It’s that we live in a world where people have to.
We don’t blink when billion-dollar companies ask us to buy something we don’t need.
We don’t flinch when celebrities crowdfund passion projects.
But when a real person with real needs says, “Please help me stay afloat,” suddenly it becomes uncomfortable.
If that makes you uncomfortable, I gently invite you to ask yourself why.
💬 To the Ones Who Do Give, Share, or Just Listen—Thank You.
You get it. You understand that helping is not about knowing someone personally. It’s about seeing their humanity and choosing to respond to it.
I will keep showing up. I will keep asking, not because I’m proud—but because I’m not giving up.
This is survival. This is transparency.
And yes—this is soliciting.
And I’m standing in that truth, not hiding from it.
With honesty and hope,
Jocelyn
https://www.gofundme.com/f/kidney-disease-struggle-please-assist