Jimmy - Co. Tipperary

In 2005, myself and my partner wanted to borrow €100,000 to purchase our own home and carry out some repairs. We had tried all the local banks for this loan but were refused every time. Eventually we applied to START MORTGAGES for this loan, which they were more than happy to provide…no problem. Happy days!

In our haste and excitement we jumped at the chance of finally owning our own home. Things were fine for some time and all payments and bills were being met. However, interest rates then started rising and we started to struggle a little, but not to the extent that we were in any real difficulty. That is until my partner lost her job as a manager in a company which let go most of their staff and we were facing some hard choices. We continued to do our best to pay back our mortgage and were in constant contact with our lender, which was the line we were being told from every quarter. I was still working at the time (which I've been doing steadily since I was 17 years old) but we were now under pressure as we have 5 kids to support. May I add that we had no other loans, not even one. We did not owe a bob to anyone and did not go on holidays or live beyond our means. We were happy to just have enough to look after the kids and spend time at home as a family.

To cut a long story short, my partner started to find it hard to cope and depression eventually set in. She became severely upset and distant. Then one day I came home from work to find that she had moved out. I did my best to understand and try to help her but it was very difficult for both of us. This was a huge shock to me to see the love of my life in such disarray and the dream of owning our home turning into a nightmare. Last christmas i was alone for the first time in my life and sat in my car all day Christmas day on the M7, I decided to to end all this pain and considered suicide and then went about planning it. That Christmas night I was so low that I had my note written and proceeded to go about it. Funny how things can change, 2 days prior a leaflet came trough the door from the Samaritans, but on that night my eldest child rang me just before I carried out my threat. I immediately said to myself 'STOP! What am I doing, who will look after my kids, what about my elderly mum?'

I rang the Samaritans, found them great, they understood my hurt! I picked my self up, went on anti depressants for a time, chose to try and learn my guitar, and started taking an interest in what other people must be also going through. I stood up to the constant, demanding and threatening letters from Start Mortgages and decided to myself that I'd suffered enough crap…I wasn't taking this anymore. Today Im still in my home, (if you want to call it a home now, its nothing to me with out my pet and my kids) but I'll continue to do my best for them and myself and also for others.

Life does go on,and it really IS up to each one of us to make what we can of it, we will only get one chance and to hell with material things. Health is Wealth which I still have thank you. Nothing is permanent in this world, not even our troubles.

Fallen flowers can't grow back on the tree... but if the root is strong new flowers certainly can
Life is not about what you could not do so far, it is what you still can
Never hate people who are jealous of you...
... Instead love them because they're the ones who think you are better than them.
Silent lips may avoid many problems
But smiling lips may solve many problems
So always have a SMILE on your face in the beautiful journey called
LIFE

photo photo photo photo