Bankruptcy After MY Divorce

Filing for Bankruptcy was something that I never dreamed would “happen” to me.  I worked hard to pay my bills and seldom even had a late payment.  My husband made a good salary.  Life was good.
Then one day I found myself in the middle of a messy divorce and learning about my soon to be ex-husband’s gambling problem.   I ended up with $15,000 in credit card debt (my half) and only one income.  I had 2 small kids and made just enough to pay the mortgage, utilities and keep food in the house. 
For 5 years after the divorce  I paid the bare minimum to the credit card companies.   That got me nowhere…  I paid nothing but interest and the balances seemed to grow instead of shrink.  We had no disposable income.  I ended up selling my house because I just didn’t make enough to pay everything. My parents had to start helping me make ends meet by buying school clothes for my kids.  I stopped answering the phone because  it was always a bill collector on the other end - and they were nasty.   I felt like something was going to give… me.  I felt hopeless.  I was never going to be able to dig myself out of this.
Then someone suggested Bankruptcy Chapter 7.  I was horrified.   But after much thought and a consultation with a bankruptcy lawyer I realized that it was not only a good option; it was my only option if I wanted to get my life back on track.  It was a difficult decision, but putting my pride aside - filing was the best decision I ever made.   Just a couple of months after filing I was able to start rebuilding my credit and my life.  I had a fresh start.  I will never regret my decision to file.
I realized that Bankruptcy did not mean I was  an irresponsible person.  This experience showed me I had the courage to take action, to resolve a huge problem. Bankruptcy gave me my life back.