There is always a way out from a situation but you need to sit down, think, and find a solution because no one will do it for you

So, here is my very own story of getting out of debt...

First things first: I got married, I gave birth to a daughter, me and my husband worked hard for our subsistence, it was all great - until the husband got severely sick. The sickness rendered my husband incapable of working, so I worked alone, but a single salary at a manufacturing plant doesn't afford one a decent life. A woman, regardless of how much effort she puts into the work, can never earn more or as much as a man at a production plant. And so, a month after month, we started lacking money for food, or expensive medicines for my husband. We would take a credit after credit, until we got to the point where the installments were too much of a burden. The husband was getting more sick, until eventually he died.

My world collapsed. I was left alone with the child and with the debt. I left my daughter at a Monday-Friday nursery. I would only take her home for the weekend. It was awfully difficult. The partings that took place every Monday were tragically painful to the both of us, and I had to work overtime, working from dawn to night, to allow us to survive. I lived near a train station, and knew when a train with coal would be coming. Some coal would always fall out. I took a bucket and collected coal for me and my daughter. Unfortunately, she got sick. I had to take her from the nursery. I sat home and cried. I had no idea what to do. Vegetating on social care, I started looking for a job I could do. I got into sewing work gloves, kids' hats... it allowed us to survive somehow. The most important thing was that I was with my daughter. I cooked potato soup for the entire week; when it ended a little too early, I would add a bit of margarine, and keep eating it. It hurt me that my daughter had no toys, but she would never complain - only hug me and wipe away my tears, saying: mom, all that matters is that we are together. I sew her a doll from rags, with eyes made of buttons and hair made of yarn. She would never part with it, saying that it is the most beautiful doll, because it has a soul.

On Christmas I baked a cake. A neighbor came and said that she had never eaten such a delicious cake; she tried to persuade me into baking cakes for money. I told her it didn't make sense - to whom would I sell it? She said she would walk around our village, tell everyone about my cake. And so she did. People started coming to me with orders for cakes, including wedding cakes. From the money earned I bought a better sewing machine, and started doing tailoring adjustments, producing shades at commission. I had so much work that I would sometimes not finish it in a day, so I kept working at night.

Slowly, but steadily, we were getting out of our trouble. I would earn more and more money, repay my credits. Each last credit installment was a holiday for us, worthy of celebration. Eventually, I too got sick; I was placed at a hospital. My daughter was at the family at that time; I underwent a severe surgery, and amidst this suffering got to know a man, who had been crossing our town, had an accident and ended up at the hospital. Our relationship flourished; he was released from hospital first, and would visit me daily. After a year we got married. My husband forbade me to work as hard as before - I obeyed with ease. The household budget now included his salary, allowing me to only deal with sewing, which was my passion. After a year I gave birth to another child, and so my nightmare turned into happiness.

I hope my story didn't bore anyone; I only wanted to show that you don't have to give up and complain - you have to keep fighting. There are no impossible situations, you only have to sit down, think and find the solution - nobody will do it for you. You can't sit with your arms crossed and wait for a miracle. The life has taught me humbleness, distance and belief in yourself; if you believe in what you do, it has to pay back eventually. My life and experience confirm the old saying that faith works wonders.