A first and second chance

Tiffany was in constant pain.

Her whole body ached. But she didn’t know why. Finally, a doctor gave her the diagnosis no one wants to hear: cancer.

All this single mom of a 13-year-old boy could think was, What’s going to happen to my son if I die?

Tiffany was working, had an apartment in Tampa, and was making ends meet. But the cancer diagnosis changed everything. So she made a hard choice. She left the apartment she’d worked so hard to keep and moved back to the home she was raised in to stay with her grandmother.

She says, “I was afraid to die and leave my son alone. But my grandmother’s home was toxic. She began drinking and would get mad and get physical.”

It was too much for Tiffany. She was taking pain medication with terrible side effects, losing her hair, and deeply depressed. “I couldn’t figure my life out,” she says. “I worked so hard, only to be knocked down again.” The stress was so overwhelming, Tiffany tried to take her own life.

Because the situation at her grandmother’s was impossible to manage, Tiffany did the only thing she could: She and her son moved back to Tampa Bay. But having spent all of her money on doctor bills and child care, she couldn’t afford a place to live. She and her son were forced to sleep in their car.

“I had the support to really take on my cancer and my life.”

Tiffany knew about Metropolitan Ministries, so she came to us for help. She joined our four-month program, which helps at-risk families like Tiffany’s get off the street, get back on their feet, and get started down the road to self-sufficiency.

We helped Tiffany with housing, employment, and the support she needed in her battle with cancer.

“Metropolitan Ministries gave me a fresh start,” she says. “They’re a part of my life story, my success. All the programs have given me more support and hope than I’ve ever had in my life. I’m thriving today because someone cared for me.” Hope is here — and it’s for everyone.

“I found myself again and got on my feet and can help others, because Metro gave me a first and second chance.”

When you give, families are changed forever. Now, with the match, you can have 2x the impact.