LIMA – Tara was already struggling to care for her two daughters before she had a cardiac catheterization in December.

The procedure took her off work at a time when her wages were cut by 25% and the amount of child support she relied on each month was reduced by $ 500. Then her eldest daughter, who will celebrate her 12th birthday later this month, no longer qualified for Medicaid, leaving Tara to have her daughter insured for an additional $ 120 a month.

It was already difficult for her to work a full 40 to 50 hours a week in the factory, but as the sole provider of her children, Tara has no choice but to push through her pain in a physically demanding job, even if her health worsens.

Satisfying even the basic need was difficult before the operation. Now, between vacations, a loss of wages and other financial setbacks, Tara can barely pay rent and put food on the table, let alone buy warm clothes for her daughters or store enough detergent to clean the family’s clothes.

“I have to decide: what do I do this week? What can I afford to pay this week? ” She said. “It’s difficult and it’s not just Christmas time. It’s all year round that I have these fights, but then I have the extra things that I have to pay for over the holidays so that my kids have Christmas. “

Tara feels guilty for asking for help because she knows that other families are worse off than hers, who deserve help during a difficult year.

But she has few places to turn, and her daughters need winter boots. You need socks and warm clothes for the winter. And, Tara hopes, some toys for Christmas.

Her youngest daughter wears 6-fold children’s clothing and children’s shoes in size 13, while her oldest daughter wears large to extra-large women’s clothes and women’s shoes in size 8.

The girls love handicrafts and hair accessories. The eldest wants a bike and both girls hope that one day they will be able to have a tablet at home.

Tara also needs help with daily needs, such as rent, groceries and other bills.

“I didn’t want to be in a trap where they had nothing for Christmas,” she said.