Gary Groat hasn't added a story.

UPDATE 05/02/15

Hi Everyone,

I have only just properly started to get this campaign out there and I thought my original story was too long so I decided to shorten it for everybody but I have left it there for everyone who would like to read it, Lets see If I can shorten this to a paragraph or two =).

So I was recently fired from my job ( Please see full story for reasons ), I have been diagnosed with quite high levels of depression and anxiety also and only recently started taking anti-depressant medication along with seeing a psychologist to try and overcome and beat this illness ( For anybody who can relate to this or has issues with depression you will know this is no overnight or easy fix), Over the last 4 weeks this has Mentally been the toughest time of my life where I can say I feel like I have hit rock bottom, I am trying my best to move forward but at times sometimes the most simplest of tasks can feel like climbing a mountain and I can wonder if even getting out of bed can be worth it some days, I do not have friends or family I can rely on for financial support and have exhausted all other options with my creditors so I am reaching out to the internet for help.

Ok so that is the abridged version of my story but please feel free to read further below or watch my video too.

What I am effectively looking for from all of you and the internet community is a simple $1 donation or more if you feel comfortable ( I am comfortable with a $1 as it does not put anybody out of pocket themselves ). Now I do not have a whole lot to offer in return for this but at the very least anyone who does donate will receive a personalized thank you email from me which I am hoping will brighten your day and truly show you how you have changed my life, I also have an I.O.U. perk for donations over $5 let's be reasonable but also adventurous with this one I am open to your IOU and will try to make it happen. =)

Now before I finish I know by putting this out there I will probably receive more negative feedback for exploring and option like this than positive but please also note the following and try keep those negative comments to yourself:

- Depression can be a debilitating illness which affects millions of people at some stage in their life. This may seem like a cop-out or an excuse but we have all been built differently and gone through different things in our lives and can deal with those scenarios better than others.

- It has taken a lot of courage from myself to finally reach out for support and also bare myself here openly on the internet.

- If you do think you do suffer from depression or know of someone who does reach out to them or go speak to your doctor I promise you are not alone. Reach out to me I will help in anyway I can.

PLEASE ALSO DON'T FORGET TO SHARE THIS WITH ATLEAST ONE OTHER PERSON WHO WILL OR YOU THINK WILL DONATE AS I CANNOT DO THIS WITHOUT YOU =)

Thankyou.

Hi FundRazr community,

My name is Gary and I need some help. I never wanted it to get to this situation but due to recent events I no longer have the option but to ask strangers and reach out to a community for help.

Over the last two + years, I have dug myself into a severe financial hole from which I cannot seem to dig myself out of. This financial hole is essentially credit card debt.

I should start from the beginning. Back in late 2013 I resigned from my job working for a bank due to being pushed out of the company for not doing what they believe I was required to do even though I was working 10-12 hour days to do what was required of me to succeed in my role but also provide exceptional customer service to my clients also. Due to management trying push me out of the company and no longer enjoying my job I had been in for 4 + years I basically got to the point where I was severely depressed and no longer wanted to get up in the morning or do anything for that matter as all I did was work 6 days a week and mentally and physically had no energy for anything else and I had basically started to cut off people from my life as I began to stop caring about almost anything so I had no choice but to start again and look for other opportunities with a clean slate.

I was paid out my leave and any benefits owed to me at the time and decided to take a short break and gather myself and try to regain my passion and happieness and look for new options going forward. This short break eventually led to me being unemployed for a period of almost 10 months and the only way I could survive were my credit facilities. (this was a terrible move I know but I honestly had no choice).

I had eventually gained employment again working for a great company that actually made a difference in people's lives guiding and helping them through difficult situations in their lives. Everything was going along great until I was fired from that job 3 weeks ago. The reason, why I was fired from my job, was when I first started I had asked my immediate manager at the time for assistance with a client who needed help and I was given unethical information at the time by my direct leader which led me to getting in trouble and being warned about my position going forward, at the time my boss was under pressure to keep her position and at the time I thought I was doing the right thing by her as I was new to role to take the blame and cop the warning and move forward to assist her but little did i know that by defending her and being loyal it would paint a target on my back to be dismissed the very next mistake i made and that next very small mistake came 6 months down the track which has led me to being unemployed again and desperately scared seeking help.

I have also struggled with depression and anxiety for the last 10 years from my mid teens to my current age now at 26. After wanting to get my depression and anxiety under control for quite sometime now I have finally taken the steps to seeing a psychologist for the first time last week which I hope and pray will make my mind stronger to be able to take on the challenges that life throws at me It will be a long process, I am currently on a limited number of free sessions but I hope It will not costs me much in ongoing sessions and possible medications as I currently cannot afford it.

WHERE I AM CURRENTLY AT:

-With my current issues with depression and anxiety I find it very hard to put effort and care into the most basic of tasks and struggle to even get out of bed in the morning, I know longer care about anything and beat myself up mentally that I find it hard to complete any task and really put it off till I am at breaking point, Close to where I am now.

-Financially with the little money I have I will be able to support my immediate bills and expenses such as rent, food and transport costs for around 3 weeks.

-I am currently doing all I can to find a new job to try and get myself back on track, Given that I dropped out of high school when I was younger and have no degrees my options are limited to the experience I have through my years of employment. Even when I do manage to get employment my salary will most likely only put myself in a position where I can maintain my debts but not pay them off.

-Given my debts are primarily credit cards maintaining these payments will take 29 years to payback which will be till I am 55 at that time with interest charged monthly.

-I have cut back on all social activities and any sort of extra personal expenses but it still has not helped.

-I do not come from a well-off family, My father is currently on disability benefits and cannot help me and my mother is a nurse who lives from paycheck to paycheck. They are separated and neither can take me in or relieve me of any financial burden. I also do not have any friends who are able to assist me financially.

-I have spoken to my banks in regards to options going forward and as I am unemployed they can not restructure my debts or consolidate them. As I have already had payments put on hold last year they are unable to help me again so I will just have to miss payments when they are due and make them up when I can and suffer any consequences that will arise from this.

-I have also started the process to obtain government benefits for unemployment but this will really only help with rent and nothing else and is still several weeks away.

I currently stand at 56 thousand dollars in debt which is across three credit cards and a loan and when I look back I absolutely have nothing to show for it and besides covering my living expenses, robbing peter to pay poor moving money from one card to pay another and having a good time with friends.....

At the end of the day I am the one who has made such idiotic decisions over the last few years and there is absolutely nobody else to blame except myself and I honestly don't even know if I deserve help but if anyone wanted to I would be eternally grateful.

I had a simple idea as I am reaching out to strangers, The only sort of donation that I thought was appropriate would be a donation of $1as it does not put any financial pressure and anyone else. a $1 donation and that you share this to other people so that other people can see my situation and potentially find it in the bottom of their hearts to help me through a rough period of my life I am going through.

I would appreciate it if any negative comments would not be posted thank you as it has taken a huge amount of courage and energy by myself to explain issues that close friends and members of family not even know about.

If you have read this far then I truly thank you from the bottom of my heart for taking the time out of your day to read about my situation regardless of whether you help or not, And if you personally are having issues with anxiety or depression then please speak up and talk to someone about your issues there is help out there for you.

Kind regards

Gary.