Jessica Mendoza

Today's average credit card rate has risen to 21%.

Melissa, the woman from Maine, had several credit cards with her then-husband, including one with a 29% interest rate.

How many credit cards did you have at that point?

For the most part, she and her husband were managing to keep up with the payments.

But then they started having relationship trouble.

Ultimately, the marriage ended.

Alone for the first time in 30 years, Melissa started using the credit cards to help with smaller everyday purchases, like dog food.

Melissa leaned on her credit cards to manage the finances of her new life.

And she also used them as a way to cope with all the stress.

She bought a bunch of new clothes.

She took up baking as a hobby and splurged on kitchen equipment.

Before we go on, I want to say that the next part of our story discusses suicide.

Soon, calls from collection agencies started coming in.

After a while, Melissa says it felt like the phone was ringing every hour.

One of the credit card companies was demanding a $1,600 monthly payment.

What was it like to be getting collections calls?

Melissa says it was a really dark time for her.

Melissa says she was diagnosed with depression and was prescribed medication.

She says one night in August of 2024, she tried to kill herself.

After the break, how Melissa took back that control...