Parents of 2 special needs children needs help.

My wife and myself got married 19 years ago. Like most other people we had dreams and goals.

Our first son was born the same year that we were married and was shortly afterwards diagnosed with severe ADHD. We could not enroll him in a state school as he had very specific educational needs and had to put him a school suited for him.

Our youngest son was born 7 years after the first and he was diagnosed with autism and ADHD. He also spend the first few weeks of his life in intensive care due to a viral infection.

Even though my wife and myself have always been employed we have suffered numerous retrenchments within our careers resulting in us having to survive by dipping into our savings and accepting lower salaries due to economic downturn and desperation.. Our children's educational and medical requirements have taken an average 60% of our income over the years. The rest of our income went into running our household.

Trying to hold on to our house and car during trying times, we have exhausted all our life savings and have forfeited policies and insurances that we have build up.

We still have the youngest one at school, and the eldest one that we want to put through college. We are struggling and are drowning in debt.

We are not poor enough to receive help from the state and not wealthy enough to make ends meet. My wife and myself are chronically depressed and there are many days that we go without food.

In our 19 years of marriage we have never celebrated valentines day or gone on holiday as a couple as we have always put our children first. We are both in our forties now with no nest egg or savings for the future as we are still paying off debt and trying to catch up with arrears.

I know that there are millions of people worst off than us and we try to help others less fortunate than us by sharing the little that we have. I am asking for your help to make a difference in my family so that we can lift ourselves up again.

Your support no matter how small will help us immensely as we have forgotten how it feels to be happy.