In 2013, after 19 years of living in Kansas, I picked up my entire life and moved to Los Angeles to follow my passion in dance and start my career in the entertainment industry. I often follow my intuition and while some might say that’s crazy, I know my purpose...and it will never lead me astray. I was very fortunate in the following years to have built a foundation in which I was extremely proud of, giving me a sense of security which is difficult to find in this crazy city. However, sometimes curveballs are thrown your way to help you see life outside your comfort zone. In March of 2017, I made a decision that would ultimately...change everything. I got seriously injured for the first time in my professional dance career while I was working for the LA Clippers, and it didn’t take long for the rest of my life to spiral out of control. I did everything in my power to find answers and heal so I could get back to work, but over time it was apparent I needed ankle surgery. And not long after that came the news that I needed to move out immediately of where I was currently living due to a piping issue and toxic mold. I frantically searched for a place to live, but it was A.) difficult to find an affordable place last minute and B.) Hard to get approved without proof of income since I was unable to work and needed to have surgery. Move out day came, and I had no where to live. This is when I found my true strength. I put everything I owned into a storage unit, packed up my car with whatever belongings I thought I would need, took my cat and his litter box, and lived out of my car for about 5 weeks. Now, I always was able to find a bed to sleep on and a roof over my head at night, but there were mornings I woke up and didn’t know where I would be staying the next night, and that was terrifying. I bounced around and went wherever I could, AirBnB’s, hotels, I even had almost mere strangers open up their home out of the kindness of their heart. My parents are the true heroes in this story though because despite being over 1000 miles away, they dropped what they were doing and took turns taking trips out to California to be with me during this time while I was looking for an apartment and for an ankle surgeon. Thats when I realized, without the support of my family and a few kind strangers and close friends, I would’ve been living on the streets. Never did I think I would be in that position, especially not because I was so stable and secure in my life 6 months prior. While that time in my life was the darkest I’ve ever endured to date, I knew to power through and I was grateful to have received help along the way. Because of the compassion of others, I was going to be okay. I’m eternally grateful to God for providing me exactly what I needed to get through that time, but also for broadening my perspective on how important it is to help those who need help to get back on their feet. I know I am very blessed to have such an amazing family, however not everyone has a biological family or a support system to be there if/when they fall.  I share my story because homelessness has a huge place in my heart now.  We are all family on this planet and it's not our place to judge another’s path or journey, but simply to help them along in any way that we can. :)