Save my (digital) life

Hi, my name is Martin, I am 24 and I currently study on Masaryk university in Brno.

Here is what happens:

My computer has broken down after almost 5 years of good service but fortunately I was able to access all my documents (including my diploma thesis). I had to give it away for repair – some friend of my dad told he will look at it. I needed a lot of stuff there and I didn’t want anybody to go through them because some of them was personal (no I didn’t have any porn there), so I just transfer everything on my HDD hoping I will have my computer back soon and in meantime I will work on my friends’ laptop from my HDD. I tried to gave some things on cloud because I heard that if you don’t have data backup on two separate places you don’t have it at all but I didn’t have much time for that because I just had exams from my uni.

And then it happened – my HHD just broke down too! I plug it in my friends’ laptop, because some other friend of mine wanted some motivation letters and it freeze somehow and then I couldn’t open it anymore. It never fell me or got hit or anything so I thought it will be just some minor electronic issue. So I went to data recovery service and they found out that it is mechanical and disk has been damaged.

My whole digital life was there – music, photos of my family, photos from my school, photos of love of my life, but also everything from my computer since it was broken – my document from school, my diploma thesis!, even documents in which I had written my dreams when they were funny or interesting and I remembered it when I woke up. And much more… I don’t even want to think of what I have lost. (I have kind of OCD so I archive a lot of things and when I realized that I lost them … I felt really catastrophic.)

There was of course chance to save them but lowest price that they gave ne was 1128 €. I am from Slovakia where average salary is less than 900 €, so it is quite a lot. I am still studying and everything I earn goes for rent, food and transportation because I study in Brno. I have three jobs – one for money for these things and two for my CV. From one of them I have work only like every three months and I earn like 100 – 120 € for that and in second one I didn’t even get any money just recently they decided that they will pay me 100 € per month and I was so happy for that.

My dad has salary around 500 € per month and my mom is currently unemployed (she has 2 years till retirement so nobody will employ her in normal job) but she is at least trying to earn something. She is able to earn like 200 – 300 per month. My parent are doing fine and soon I will get some good job I hope and I will give them some money back, but now they don’t have anything to help me with this.

I am really desperate and I don’t know what to do. One of my jobs is in field of startups so I heard a lot about crowdfunding and now it looks like only thing that left to do.

I know people have bigger problems and I even feel kind of selfish for trying it here but on other hand there are very important data for me on that disc and I am constantly depressed that I lost them.

I feel bad for just asking for money, so I would like to give something back for everyone who helps me. If anybody wants to visit Bratislava I would be happy to guide you and you can even stay during night at my home. Or if there is anything else what I can do for you just write me an email. Thank you.

PS: I will never be so stupid and from now on, all my data will be on cloud – after all it is cheaper than this recovery.