Who am I and why am I asking for your help?

My name is Ben, and I am an aspiring artist/photographer with Asperger's Syndrome and severe anxiety issues. I moved to Mexico 5 years ago as living a simpler, quieter life here has been very good for my issues, and had been happily living a very simple life there.

Starting in April that all got turned upside down. In between jobs, a series of brown outs fried my desktop, which I need to work. Approximately a week after that, I received a phone call from back in the USA that my Mother had had a heart attack and passed away. So I had to use the last of my resources to fly up to California and settle her affairs (no estate to settle, she was for all intents and purposes destitute) and while up here I have been helping set my older brother who lived with her, due to his own disabilities, to be able to live independently.

During that time I have been unable to find work, in part due to the time devoted to his needs, and in part because of the lack of a computer. With the storm season raging in Mexico, my home there has taken some damage and I need to get home.

Travel home is relatively inexpensive as taxi fares, flight and bus ticket total about $275 USD. The rest is to be able to replace my computer with a laptop able to run Photoshop and other programs I need to work, and maybe cover a month or so of rent while I get things going again.

This is hard for me. I've never asked for a handout before, but have exhausted all other options available at this time.

