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LIGHT ONE CANDLE Single mother needs a job EDITOR'S NOTE : This is one in a series of stories about people who need help during the holiday season. When this 27-year-old realized she and her daughter could be in danger, there was no question that she had to leave her home in Michigan. The single mother was in a long-term relationship, but began to feel increasingly afraid of her partner. He had been diagnosed with a mental illness, but refused to seek treatment. He made her feel like a yo-yo. On some days he told her she could do no wrong; on others, she could do nothing right. Deciding what to do was difficult, especially because she is pregnant with his child, due in March. Three weeks ago, she fled across the country to her sister's home here in the Rogue Valley. She's trying to start her life over from scratch. "I left my car back there and most of my belongings. It just came to the point where I had to leave," the young woman said. She sleeps on the couch at her sister's, and her 9-year-old sleeps on one of the bedroom floors. The seven residents share one bathroom. Since arriving she has hit the pavement every day in Medford, handing out job resumes, said Leslie Ann Carson, a family advocate at the Rogue Family Center. "I commend her for leaving the situation and making hard choices. She has walked all over Medford looking for employment on her own," Carson said. The young woman is self motivated, educated, bright and has integrity, Carson said. Even though she has applied for welfare, she will not receive anything for at least another month and a half. What she really wants, Carson said, is a job, so she can stay off assistance, rent a place to live and support her and her child. The young woman is a certified nursing assistant/phlebotomist, and also has secretarial and computer skills. She last worked in her partner's computer business. Readers interested in helping can call Carson at 830-7012. Mail Tribune Copyright � The Mail Tribune 1998, Medford, Oregon USA