Help My Father Find a Home

Hi, my name is Danielle. I’m 18 years old and the youngest of 5 siblings (Bobby, Isaac, Sheila and Philister). On January 20th, 2023 at around 3:30 am, my father lost everything and is uninsured. A fire consumed his whole house, a house that he’s lived in for 15+ years, a house with so many memories, a house that became a home to all of us.

My father, Joseph Mensah, is a husband, a father, a grandfather and a former beloved school bus driver. He is beloved by everyone that knows him. He’s always had a way with people and a way of making everyone happy. He’s full of joy and kindness, he puts everyone before himself. He deserves the world but instead, his world was turned upside down.

Recently, he was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease. Parkinson's disease is a long-term degenerative neurological disorder. The cells that produce dopamine, a neurotransmitter crucial for the brain to get messages to the muscles, die off. Over time, movements — from walking to swallowing — become more difficult, while undesired movements, tremors, become more pronounced. A host of other symptoms appear as the disease progresses with age.

It has taken a toll on him. Watching him slowly deteriorate has been hard. It’s almost like watching him fade away day by day. But throughout it all, he’s had a smile on his face. It's been hard watching him continually get worse but I know that there’s nothing I can do so, the only thing I can do is be there for him. Over the years, his shuffling gait has progressively gotten worse and will probably soon result in him being wheelchair-bound. His movements have drastically slowed as well. All common symptoms of Parkinson’s disease. He hasn’t yet started shaking but I know that that symptom will soon appear. It's gotten to the point where whenever we see people we know in public they’ll ask what’s wrong and I watch his smile slowly fade away every time he answers. What hit him the hardest was when he lost his job due to his condition. He was a children's school bus driver, and he loved that job with everything in him. I feel as though that accelerated the progression of his disease. It was like he lost the sparkle in his eye and the joy in his life; it was as if he had no other purpose in life. His job was the one thing that kept him going, the one thing that he woke up in the morning to do and now it is gone and he just sits at home.

His house was his sanctuary, especially now that the illness is starting to take a major toll on his body. He’s on disability and his wife (Julianna), who is the main provider, is struggling to provide for both of them. Now he is left with nothing. No house, no clothes, no bed. All things that we take for granted every day, soaps, pots and pans, bedding, toothbrushes, blankets, family pictures and yet they can all be taken away from us so easily. His disability makes it hard to find the right housing, with none/to fewer steps, chair accessibility, specific shower/tub, bed and safety features that are needed for the house and his mobility.

We just want to be able to help my dad and stepmom find a place to rest their heads at night and help them get back on their feet.

Anything helps. Thank you.

Link to Article: https://bc.ctvnews.ca/vancouver-special-gutted-by-fire-officials-say-residents-safe-and-uninjured-1.6239185