Public defender pleads for $41,720 to pay off her five credit cards, buy a house and retire after breast cancer diagnosis, divorce and a failed law firm but admits she does NOT deserve sympathy

A Florida public defender is asking for money to buy a house, pay off her five credit cards and retire after she is diagnosed with breast cancer.

Beth Bourdon, 53, is seeking $41,720 to help her achieve her goals.

In the first five hours of January 1, she had raised nearly $11,000, publishing her appeal on Facebook and X, where she has 73,000 followers.

Bourdon, who has been divorced and lives alone since 2019, said her mother died of the same type of cancer at age 58 and she wants to slow down and focus on her own health. She was diagnosed in August and had a mastectomy performed in October; a second operation in November; and will undergo reconstructive surgery in February.

“My problem is that the cancer has put me in a position where I can't be aggressive with paying off credit cards, which puts me in a position to buy a house, which will allow me to retire in about ten years.” ' she said.

Bourdon shared a photo of the house she hopes to buy with the donations

Bourdon has made a name for himself through freedom of information cases and working with reporter Ken Klippenstein of The Intercept.

She does the work with Klippenstein pro bono, but started a Patreon to discuss FOIA lawsuits and subsidize her work.

She emphasized that public defenders don't make the same amounts as other attorneys and asked for help — but not pity.

'Should you feel sorry for me? No. “I took a risk in life with my own business and it failed, and I divorced my husband with no safety net,” she wrote.

'Are there people here in worse positions than me who deserve your money? Yes.'

She said the money would not be spent on her medical bills, but on buying her a house.

“I currently have 5 credit cards with a total amount of debt of around $39,800 that I would like to pay off with this gofundme,” she wrote.

“My credit card debt is a huge barrier to buying a house.

'Why should I buy a house? I want to be able to retire instead of working in my grave like my mother did when she died of the same breast cancer at the age of 58.'

Bourdon shared photos of the two-bedroom property, worth $352,500, that she was hoping to buy, calling it “perfect.”

Bourdon said the house needed some work but was “perfect.”

The 53-year-old said she doesn't want to “work herself to death” like her mother did

But she said she hopes to remodel the house and install central air conditioning; moving the island in the kitchen; and change the ceiling.

The donations, she said, will be used to break her lease, move and make a down payment.

She didn't provide any details about her lifestyle, but her TikTok shows she dined out three times at new Orlando noodle hotspot Zaru, where entrees cost around $20.

Her social media also focuses a lot on her cat and her favorite recipes to cook at home.

'Living on my own since 2019 and running my bankrupt business from 2014 to 2016, I had to use my credit cards to pay for a website and other fixed costs, after which I got divorced and moved into an apartment where I started all over again. don't help my credit cards either,” she explained.

Bourdon was profiled in July by Fast companyand said she appreciated her growing number of followers on social media.

“I think the shock comes from the expectation that you're not a nice, normal person,” she said.

“You can't go after a public defender. We've all heard it.'