Oh, my Gucci babies, I've been staring at this blank screen for almost an hour trying to figure out where to start. I don't know how to fix this; I can't fix this and I don't know how to deal with something I can't fix.
I am devastated.
I hate being helpless. I hate seeing my loved ones hurting and struggling and being powerless to take the pain away. I can't fix this. I can't fix cancer. I can't heal it. But I can help with the struggles this family faces. And so can you.
I've known Renee a few years. Though I've moved out of state and we haven't seen each other in quite sometime, I just love her. She is sweet and loyal and smart and talented and strong. She is a giver, a fixer, a helper. Her heart is as beautiful as her face. She loves fiercely, she works without ceasing, and she sacrifices without complaint.
And her husband has been diagnosed with a very aggressive cancer. He was the sole breadwinner and is now too sick to work. We all know the state of the economy. We all know how difficult it is to find work and to complicate things for Renee, willing as she is to do whatever she must to keep her family afloat while her husband fights for his life, she home schools her three children, one of whom is autistic. She's been a homemaker for so many years and when employers have the luxury of choice, as they do now, they are not interested in a woman who's been out of the workforce so long.
They have lost their house. They are currently living in an RV in the parking lot of the hospital where her husband is being treated. Because they have no running water, Renee and her children are going to Sassy's house, which is thankfully close by, week after week to fill buckets and jugs with fresh water. The children are growing rapidly out of their clothes, and the clothes they do have are becoming worn with use.
Right now the hospital is generously allowing them to keep their RV in the parking lot and use their electricity, but this is a temporary solution to what is rapidly becoming a permanent problem. And winter is coming. Montana winters are cruel and long.
The amazing thing about Renee is, she remains hopeful. She finds the good in the midst of this nightmare she faces. She squares her shoulders and raises her chin in the face of this overwhelming adversity even though the stress of this situation must be almost intolerable. She is holding her family together, taking care of her husband, teaching her children, and trying to make a home out of a travel trailer parked in a hospital parking lot while stretching six hundred dollars a month to feed and clothe a family of five.
She needs our help. It's time we help her shoulder some of this immense burden. Her need is great, but our power to meet her needs is greater. This blog has 511 followers as of this writing. If each one of you donates five dollars, Renee and her family will have $2,555 to give them a start toward finding more permanent housing, nutritious food, clothing for the children, and so much more. This blog averages 1500 hits a day; if each person who reads the words on this page donates just five dollars, Renee and her family will have $7,500. Imagine that! Imagine the difference a sum like that could make to this family.
Renee has done so much for all of us who know her and she's done so much even for those who don't. She's an immensely talented photographer, and she's donated her time and skills to organizations like Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep, The Human Society, and Montana Mamas. She is always first in line to lend a hand where a hand is needed and now it is time we extend a hand to her.
Certainly the best thing we can do to help Renee and her family right now is to open our pocket books. But there are other ways we can help her. We can send gift cards, clothing, blankets, and other sundries.
I've set up a Paypal donation button so you can give what you can conveniently and safely online. If you are more comfortable sending a check through the mail or you'd prefer to send gift cards, email me at admin@mamastillwearsgucci.com and I will give you my address. If you come to my house and try to watch me through my windows, that will cost you fucking extra, you pervs. Apparently they let just about anyone through the gate here, so if I give you my address, you'd better not be a freak. Similarly, if you would like to send clothing for the children or other items, I will give you the specifics on sizes and such if you ask me.
Please stand with me in making whatever difference we can for my sweet friend Renee and her family. We may not be able to fix the cancer, we may not be able to fix the troubles she faces, but we can at least remove some of the seemingly insurmountable financial burden so she no longer has to worry about getting her children in clothes that fit, being able to make real meals of nutritious food for them on an actual stove, and getting them into nice warm beds with a strong roof over their heads before the snow flies.
It's time to put our money where our mouths are. We are a community. We are bonded together even though most of us have never met. One of us has stumbled, and those of us who can need to help her get back up.
Please give what you can to Renee, her husband Carl, her daughters Inger and Kelda, and her son Benjamin. They need us. Thank you.
You can also check out this post with a Word from Renee
Please feel free to pass this along!!
2 comments:
Heart wrenching! :(
Yes it is! I don't personally know them but after reading the story I just had to share it with everyone.
Post a Comment