I don’t love asking for help, but I’m doing it anyway.

This year has been a lot. A lot a lot.

There have been multiple serious health issues in my family, including chronic illness, seizures, a newly discovered neurological condition, and cancer in my immediate family. At the same time, our housing situation has become increasingly difficult, our rent has gone up significantly, healthcare costs continue to climb, and we’ve reached the point where staying where we are no longer makes much sense.

So, we’re moving in October.

The move will put us closer to people we love, better access to medical care, more resources for the kids, and closer to my office. It’s the right move, and I think it will make our lives much more sustainable in the long run.

The problem is getting from here to there.

Because of the health and disability issues in our family, this isn’t really a move we can brute-force ourselves. We need help with movers, hauling away things we can’t take with us, storage while we downsize, and the many other expenses that come with relocating a family. We also have medical debt and ongoing care that has been difficult to access because of cost.

I’ve been struggling with whether to ask for help publicly.

Part of that is pride. Part of it is that I know I’m fortunate in many ways. I’m a psychologist. I make a decent living. I’ve built a career that I’m very grateful for.

And yet, somehow, we are still barely keeping our heads above water right now.

I know we aren’t alone in that. Housing, insurance, healthcare, food, raising kids—everything has gotten incredibly expensive. A level of income that once sounded very comfortable can disappear surprisingly quickly when several major life circumstances hit at the same time.

So I’m trying to get over my discomfort and simply say what is true:

We could use some help.

I’ve been making things on the internet for a long time now. Books, podcasts, videos, articles, answers to questions, and all sorts of other strange little pieces of myself scattered around the world.

If any of that has helped you over the years, and you’re in a position where you’d like to help us now, I would be deeply grateful.

I set up a GoFundMe here:

https://gofund.me/5402853ac

And if you’d rather send something directly through Venmo:

https://account.venmo.com/u/robert-duff-13

Please do not feel guilty if you can’t contribute financially. I mean that sincerely. I know exactly what it feels like to want to help someone and simply not have the money available.

Reading my work, sharing it, sticking around, sending a kind message, or passing the fundraiser along all help too.

Mostly, I’m trying to get my family through a very difficult stretch and into a situation where we have more support around us.

Thank you for being here