A woman was left feeling "physically sick" after making the decision to block her best friend of more than 16 years on social media—but, fear not, because there is an uplifting twist. Following 16 years of friendship, Hayley Carson, 33, made the heartbreaking choice to block her closest companion, Jessica, 35, on social media in July. Hayley, who resides in Nashville, Tennessee, told Newsweek that this drastic action felt "very difficult and unnatural," but there was a specific reason for it.
"Jessica has been my constant through every chapter," Hayley said. "She is much more than my best friend; she is my family. We have walked through loss, breakups, family illnesses, major changes, and the births of her beautiful children together." Indeed, Jessica’s family has experienced many setbacks recently, leading to a heavy financial burden.
Their home sustained significant damage in a winter storm, requiring them to live out of a hotel for three months, and after suffering a workplace injury, Jessica’s husband is unable to work. Jessica had to pick up a second job to cover the extensive bills and costs, all the while trying to shield her children from the impact. Hayley hates seeing her best friend go through such a difficult time in her life, so she made the decision to step in.
She set up a fundraiser for the family to ease the burden and kick-started it with $1,000 from her own pocket. However, she knew that Jessica would not allow this to happen if she knew about it, so Hayley blocked her best friend on social media for three weeks. "If I could eliminate every financial burden, I would have done it without hesitation," Hayley said.
"The idea of asking the internet for help came to me after a conversation Jessica and I had in July. She told me more about what her family had been facing, and, for the first time, I heard her usual hopeful optimism give way to defeat. "I started the fundraiser with a $1,000 contribution, not because I expected recognition, but because I wanted to lead with action.
I could not carry the entire financial burden, but I could carry the first piece and ask others to help with the rest." Hayley documented her decision to block Jessica on social media (@heyhayleycarson on Instagram) and encouraged others to help if they could. Her videos went viral with hundreds of thousands of views, and, soon, the donations started pouring in. It was so heartwarming for Hayley to see so many donations and kind messages from people across the internet.
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