Sam’s Journey: Love, Sobriety & a Dream

Aim: I’m starting a cage-free pet grooming business to build a better life. Your support helps me create a safe, loving space for pets.

My name is Sam, and this is the hardest thing I’ve ever had to write.
But healing begins with honesty—and I’m finally ready to start over, with your help.

I’ve survived abuse, betrayal, poverty, and pain.

Last year, I hit rock bottom.
I was drowning in alcohol, stuck in a cycle of numbness, carrying trauma I had buried since childhood. I had given up. I drank to forget. I drank so maybe—just maybe—I wouldn’t wake up.

Then I met her.

This incredible woman showed me a kind of love I never believed existed.
Because of her, I’ve been sober for 8 months. Because of her, I want to live.
For the first time, I want to build something real. Something good.

But to explain where I’m going, I need to tell you where I’ve been.

A Childhood of Fear

I was born in the UK to teenage immigrant parents who carried deep trauma of their own.
My father was violent. My mother, manipulated and afraid, became an enabler.
At four years old, I was beaten for not eating cold fries. That’s one of my earliest memories.

Home was a warzone.
School was the only break I had—but even there, I wasn’t safe.

I was bullied, beaten, and once set up by so-called friends to be ambushed.
They led me to a place where I was jumped, robbed, cut, and spat on.
When I returned home bloodied and broken, my parents beat me again—for losing the phone and clothes they’d paid for.

No one cared that I was hurting. I learned early that I had no one to rely on.

My Breaking Point

When I was 16, my father mocked me after another traumatic event. Something in me snapped. I lashed out.
He ran—not away, but to get a giant kitchen knife. He tried to kill me. I locked myself in a room while he broke down the door.
The police came—called by neighbors, not my mother—and saved my life.

But I still felt guilty. I thought I had become like him.

That trauma hit right during my GCSEs. I went from top scores to barely passing.
I had dreams of university, of design—but those dreams died with my grades. My parents blamed me. Not the abuse. Not the trauma.

Then I was lied to—told we were going to another country for two weeks for a wedding.
It turned into two months. No way home. No comfort. No care.
I was 16, depressed, isolated, and stuck. I never trusted my mother again after that.

Trying to Survive

I got a qualification in computer-aided design and wanted to go to university.
But my parents demanded rent. I wasn’t mentally or physically stable enough to study and work full-time, so I gave up my dream and started working.

Waitering. Warehouse work. Retail.
I gave my all—until years of overwork caused nerve damage in my arm.
I begged for lighter duties. Was told to "do the job or lose it."
Even lifting a water bottle became painful.

That’s when I broke—again.

I drank to disappear. I drank to die.

Then… Love Found Me

Just when I thought I had nothing left, she came into my life.

She saw me.
She loved me.
She helped me believe I was more than what had been done to me.

Because of her, I’ve been clean for 8 months.
Because of her, I have hope.
Now, I want to live. I want to build something of my own—and with her.

A New Dream: Our Own Business

Together, we’ve been planning a pet grooming business—built on kindness and compassion.
We love animals and believe in a no-cage, gentle-care approach. There’s a growing demand for this, and we know we can make it successful.

But we need help to make it happen.

I’ve returned to full-time work despite the pain. She’s doing everything she can, too. But between bills, old debts, and daily survival, we can’t make it alone.

How You Can Help

Your donation will go directly toward:

• Equipment, licensing & insurance

• Renting a small space or mobile setup

• Website and marketing

• Training & certification

Every contribution, no matter how small, helps us get closer to safety, independence, and a better future.

Why I’m Asking

If you’ve ever hit rock bottom…
If you’ve ever felt hopeless and fought your way back…
If you believe in second chances…

Please help me start again.

Even if you can’t donate, sharing this with others means the world to me.

From the bottom of my heart—thank you for reading.
Thank you for believing in someone who’s learning how to believe in himself.

With hope,
Sam

Funding method

Keep what you raise – this project will receive all pledges made by 5th August 2025 at 2:19pm