Raising a daughter and a granddaughter on your own can be a struggle.

But this single mother has chosen to focus on the positive, working two jobs and doing what she can to improve things for her family.

"Everybody struggles," said the mother, who asked not to be identified. "But I choose not to dwell on it. I have a goal and a plan. ... There's no time for self-pity. You can cry a little bit, but you know what? It's OK. Tomorrow's another day, and you just keep moving forward."

"I'm not a novelty. A lot of people struggle, and you gotta do what you gotta do."

She works full time and on-call in the medical field. She recently graduated from Kapi'olani Community College's nursing program and hopes to pass the board exam soon so she can earn more money for her family.

But challenges remain. She's raising her 10-year-old daughter as well as her 3-year-old granddaughter. And even though she's working two jobs, it's difficult to buy basic items, like utensils, washcloths and even underwear for the girls.

Her daughter has also been diagnosed as having developmental delays and is getting one-on-one help at school.

Still, the mother is grateful for what she does have — her children, a home and the ability to earn her own money.

"I just thank God for all my blessings, everything that I had, the experiences that I went through," she said.

She was shy about asking for things, saying that she knows that other families are in worse situations. "Whatever anybody can give, I'm appreciative of it, but if it was between me and another family that needed it more, by all means pass us and give it to someone else," she said.

She said she'd appreciate any clothes, underwear and toys for her daughter and granddaughter. Her daughter wears children's 14 pants and 12 shirt/dress; her granddaughter wears size 4T pants and 5T shirt/dress.

The family's wish list includes curtains, bedsheets, queen-size comforters, blankets, towels, washcloths, forks, spoons and a coffee pot.

Her daughter has also been asking for a computer to do school activities, and a Disneyland playhouse.

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