Update on TTW and Yoshi

[tblue37]

51. MT, I am the person who wrote the OP after Moosepoop's, the one saying Yoshi was in danger and

asking for help. Msanthrope and her ex then responded and tried to foster Yoshi, which was a noble, generous effort that did not work out. I was devastated when everything fell apart, and I have been sad and worried ever since.

Most of the $1100 donated that time came because DUers were so eager to help her save Yoshi, and at least for now, the money seems to have done what we donated it for, so not only do I NOT regret posting that OP about Yoshi, but I am downright glad we helped her enough to buy her and Yoshi a better situation for a while and maybe even long enough for her to find more steady work so she can afford to stabilize their circumstances. In fact, I will go to her GFM page later today, when at my desktop, and donate a little more.

I hope other DUers will do that, too. TTW is in truly difficult ciircumstances, and for whatever reason--whether because of the terrifying financial situation or because she is so frantic over the possibility of losing Yoshi, or whether she is inclined to misinterpret others' efforts to help as deriving from malice rather that genuine kindness--she has not always responded positively to others' attempts to help her. Since so many unnecessarily nasty posts have contaminated every thread by her or about her need for help, I can see why she feels under siege sometimes. And since she has been bombarded from the beginning with demands that she give up Yoshi (and even some insults about how selfish she is not to), I can also understand why she reacted so badly to msanthrope's and her ex's wonderful kindness and generosity when their attempt to take in Yoshi for long term fostering fell apart. I wish she had not so badly misunderstood their efforts and motives, but although her reaction was terribly unfair, I do understand how it could happen.

I hope that now she feels safe enough for a while to reconsider her reaction to them and to appreciate that they meant only to help, not to harm her or Yoshi. Many people have tried to help them, but none of us have put ourselves on the line the way msanthrope and her ex did, and I hope TTW can recognize that now.

Since it seems that TTW has used the money we donated to accomplish exactly what we were donating it for--i.e., to get Yoshi into a safer situation and to establish some degree of security for him--I don't think people should be ragging on her for having accepted the money and using it that way.

Frankly, not only do I plan to donate regularly to her GFM page, but I intend to increase the amount as soon as I can. I am paying down about $5000 in co-pays from a sudden ER visit leading to 2 unexpected surgeries in April. Unfortunately, as adjunct college faculty, I don't make much, and I have no real income for 3 and a half months from the end of May to mid-September, so I am stretched to the limit myself at the moment. But as soon as I start getting paid again, I plan to figure regular donations into my monthly budget. My donations this summer have had to be small, but they will increase a bit in size and frequency as soon as I am getting regular paychecks again.

So here's my plea to generous DUers who recognize how desperate TTW's and Yoshi's plight has been and who can understand why she can't bear to give up the being who is to her the only family and the dearest friend she has: Please don't let TTW's sometimes abrasive words and behavior cloud your eyes. Our donations *have* helped her and Yoshi survive. MT's OP indicates that the most recently donated money has been used to do exactly what we intended: Yoshi is in a safer place and now close enough for TTW to visit every day, so that his emotional well being is undoubtedly improved, too.

TTW is trying to work regularly and to save up for more permanent housing where she can keep Yoshi with her. Having a bit of a financial safety net can help her a lot. It is impossible to think clearly or to make reasonable long term plans when one is in a continual panic, especially if one is also susceptible to depression.

Though I have never had to deal with depression, I DID experience extended periods of financial panic and desperation for many years after being divorced when my kids were just 21 months and 3 years old. I bet a LOT of DUers have been through such periods of financial desperation.

Thank you, MT, for updating us. I really have been fretting over TTW and Yoshi. Things looked so scary right after she took him from the shelter.

I hope I am not the only one who plans to continue donating to her GFM page. I can't save the world, but I can at least do as much as I am able to offer a bit of hope to a human being and a dog whose plight I know about, even though I don't know them personally. One little candle, you know?