09/28/2026
This is a long post and it’s my story please read with grace and compassion
How to Ask for Help…
I don’t have a pot to p**s in, to put it as nicely as I possibly can. And honestly, admitting that is incredibly hard for me.
If you know me, you know I do not like asking for help. I’m usually the person who figures things out, pushes through, and somehow makes it work. Asking for help has always made me feel vulnerable, embarrassed, and like I’ve somehow failed. But right now, I don’t know what else to do.
On July 12th, I had to close my business because of the amount of black mold growing in the basement. Pretty Paws wasn’t just a business to me. It was my dream, my passion, and something I had poured my heart and soul into for years. Walking away from it was one of the hardest things I’ve ever had to do.
But my health had gotten to a point where I didn’t have a choice.
Since then, it has been ER visits, neurologist appointments, test after test, and more questions than answers. I have severe nerve damage, and I still don’t know whether some of it will be permanent.
Then came September 1st.
That was probably one of the scariest days of my life.
I remember hearing my dad—who has been gone for more than two years—say, “Daish, look in the mirror and smile.” I looked, and only the left side of my face lifted.
I knew something was wrong.
I calmly told my 16-year-old daughter to call 911 because I was having a stroke or stroke-like symptoms.
That sentence is something no mother should ever have to say to her teenage daughter.
Bottineau Ambulance and the Sheriff’s Department were incredible. Saint Andrew’s Hospital was amazing, and I was transported to Trinity, where the testing continued.
They also discovered that my thyroid wasn’t functioning properly. I only have a small portion of my left thyroid lobe remaining, and I’ve been trying to understand everything that could be contributing to what is happening to my body. I’ve been doing research, asking questions, and trying desperately to make sense of it all.
And what breaks my heart the most is knowing that my daughter was exposed to the same environment.
I never imagined that something I worked so hard to build could leave me in a position where I would have to ask people for help.
But here I am.
I’m not asking because I want something handed to me. I’m asking because I genuinely need help right now. I need help keeping a roof over our heads, keeping the necessities covered, and getting through this period while I try to figure out what happens next.
If you’re able to help financially, even a few dollars would mean more to me than I could ever put into words. If you can’t, I completely understand. A share, a prayer, a kind message, or simply helping this reach someone who may be able to help would mean just as much.
I have spent most of my life being the person who helps everyone else.
I’m just asking, for once, if someone could help me.
This is incredibly difficult for me to post. I’m swallowing my pride, putting my heart out there, and admitting that I can’t do this part alone.
Thank you for reading my story. Thank you for caring. And thank you to every person who has stood beside me and my daughter through the hardest season of our lives.
I want to thank First Lutheran Church and Tammy Hahn for all their help. I can’t even begin to express my gratitude to Deanna and Josh Lorenz they are truly amazing and have been a great blessing in my life. The words thank you don’t even seem enough for what they have helped me through. To Dixie Pasicznyk for helping me with scrubbing walls to crying on the floor. You have the most beautiful soul ever. You all do.
Thank you to my aunt Shirley Swenson and Noah for always helping us and to my mother Barb.
And a huge thank you to Lisa Rae for everything and I mean everything that she has done for me and Mya. I love you more than you could ever wrap your head around I promise you that. Thank you so very much. 🤗 💕
I’m still fighting. I’m still here. And I’m doing everything I can to find our way through this. ❤️
I’ve been getting lots of messages for my
Cash App it’s $daishakim80
Venmo is -Azure I believe idk I’ve only had one person pay me on that before
