My name is Tammy Pippin. My life has been full of hard work, struggles, and lessons that have shaped who I am today. I was married at 16 years old and had my first child at 17. During that marriage I had two more children, and for 16 years I worked hard to provide for my family. Eventually that marriage ended in divorce, and like many times in my life, I had to find the strength to keep going. For most of my life I have lived paycheck to paycheck, always trying to make ends meet. Later I married my second husband, who had two children of his own, and together we blended our families. I had three children and worked full time as a custodian for the school system, where I have now worked for more than 20 years. My husband works for Sealed Air and makes good money, but even with both of us working, we have still found ourselves living paycheck to paycheck. Our family has also experienced deep loss. We lost my husband’s son at a young age, and that pain is something that stays with you forever. At 49 years old, my life took another unexpected turn when I was diagnosed with breast cancer. At first, I thought it would only require one surgery, but it turned into eight surgeries over the course of a long and difficult year. That journey changed me in many ways. It made me look at life differently and realize how precious time and health truly are. Today I still work my eight-hour shift as a custodian, and after that I clean houses to make extra money. Most nights I don’t get home until late. I have always been a hard worker, but I am tired of feeling like I’m just beating myself down to survive. Deep in my heart, I believe God made me for more than this constant struggle. I believe there has to be another way — a better path forward where I can still work hard but also live a life with more peace, purpose, and hope. And now, I’m ready to start looking for that different way.

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