A Salon to Call Home

Short Summary

I have been a hair stylist for over 14 years and an independent stylist and small business owner for 10 years now. In Feb of 2020 I met my now husband and fell in love with him and my now bonus kiddos. We survived the pandemic as well as my salon (it wasn't easy for sure), even still, I have been able to grow and maintain my salon clientele through all these years. We recently got married last summer and took full custody of my youngest bonus son November 2022. However life has been very complicated with my husband and son living an hour away and different state from me and my salon. With my clients and my family being so far apart, life has been even more of a juggle. In order to better everyone’s lives and to truly allow my business to thrive and grow, we are trying to fulfill a dream by purchasing a home and moving my salon into the home. This will finally allow my family to all live together and I can truly be there to support my special needs son and still grow and support my women owned salon business.

Life for my Son has been more than any person should go through, yet alone a child at a young age. My son is the youngest of my Husband’s 3 kids with his ex-wife. When my son was 1.5 years old she had an affair, a baby with another man and divorced my husband and remarried. My son once the baby was instantly replaced by a new baby and has been treated less than since. While his bio-mom originally had custody after the divorce, after divorcing again and remarrying, putting my son through nearly weekly unnecessary doctors appointments and un-needed tests to figure out what was “wrong” with him and to find a medication to replace being a caring and loving parent, 5 medications changes while he was 5 and in kindergarten alone, all of which effected his brain and behavior, and then finally being denied disability and unable to make money off of him any more, gave up custody of just my son to my Husband, but of course not legally for 2 more months until the new year for “tax reasons”. She still has visitation time with him, but now at less than 18% and retained fully custody of my husband’s other 2 kids which she has 60% of the time. 
 

I have been in my son’s life since he was 3.5 years old and is now 8 and I love him more than anything. I want to protect my son from more future trauma and abandonment than what his bio-mom has already done to him. From both the emotional trauma from the multiple times she’s told him to his face she “doesn’t want him anymore because he’s mean to her” but also physical abuse of her and her partners. From the abandonment when she walked off and left him at the age of 7 in Disneyland during spring break and then when security called her to come get him said “I thought you needed space from me”… I want my son to be able to thrive and grow up to be the best person he can be and provide a better and safe home for him. 

What We Need

We need to move him to Vancouver where I grew up and my salon and business are. We need to buy a house that I can put my salon in so I can work from home and service all of my clients and also be there for my Son. With having to deal with legal fees from my husbands ex-wife and her taking all the funding and support from the kids, especially during the pandemic and both being self employed so we can have flexible schedules to be there for my son to help him with his needs from his traumas, we need to move so we’re no longer an hour away from both our jobs. 
 

The Impact

I want to break the cycle of trauma for my son. He deserves better, all kids deserve so much better. I want us all to be able to escape and not be in a small town less than 1/2 mile away from his bio-mom and all her forms of abuse. A brighter and safer future for our little family and my husbands other kids when we have them as well. 
 

Risks & Challenges

While we can’t offer anything in return for your contribution, I am hoping to someday write a book or blog  about my sons story and things we have found helpful in helping him process his trauma so that others may also learn and hopefully find tools that will help them as well. 
 

Other Ways You Can Help

Even if you can’t contribute, sharing our story with others so they can help is also greatly appreciated!