Ailing Durham woman needs new roof to remain home

Update: Surprise news from Habitat for Humanity

Over the weekend, a team from Habitat for Humanity came to Debbie’s house and replaced all the shingles. (See photo.)

Debbie had first contacted Habitat three years ago, but they said they couldn’t g give a time estimate for the work because of their few staffers and volunteers. We reconnected with them three months ago, but it was a surprise because they didn’t let any of us know they were coming until a day before. They did a great job and Debbie is very thankful.

But the job is still not done because there are ancillary parts to the roof that have been damaged by age and leaking and need immediate repair. These include replacing fascia board, removing old and improperly installed gutter guards which are not properly moving water away from the house, installing gutter guards, adding drip edges to the eaves and repairing and painting interior ceilings which are crumbling from past leaking.

All of this is necessary. The estimate is coming to around $3,000, which means your generous donations will cover that.

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Debbie sends her many thanks to everyone who contributed and made this possible. Your thoughtfulness has strengthened her during a difficult time. With this additional work, she will have fully met the demands of the insurance company, and of course, the house is now better protected in face of the coming seasonal storms.

Please feel free to reach out to Debbie if you wish, but know she’s thinking of all of you.

The Debbie

I worked with at Duke University in Durham, NC, for more than a decade was lively, sharp, hard-working and always up for some fun – whether it was a birthday party for a colleague, a great story or a press conference with an exciting celebrity visiting campus. Over the years, she has contributed in a variety of ways to the Duke and Durham communities.

Debbie in 2023 is not that same person. The big smile is no longer there. She once said, “I can think of little worse than being old, poor, alone and sick.” Sadly, she tells me that this description perfectly fits her life today.

She is overwhelmed daily with health issues – a left hand with permanent nerve damage, congestive heart failure, cardiomyopathy, left bundle branch blockage, 3rd stage kidney disease, paralyzing depression, PTSD, anxiety, asthma, and spinal stenosis, arthritis and low back pain so severe she often spends her day in bed. She has had three spinal surgeries and sees more in her future. It’s becoming increasingly difficult for her to handle daily chores, like grocery shopping (she can’t stand or walk for very long and isn’t supposed to lift anything over 10 lbs.), housework, caring for her rescue pup and handling her complex medicine regimen and doctor appointments.

Debbie, 69, is prone to falling and since she lives alone and has no support system, that’s deeply concerning. She also had the most severe auto accident of her life in December 2022 – one that left her with major increases in her insurance policy.

Like many people, Debbie lost a lot during the Covid pandemic. Already living on a tight budget, she used her right hand and experience to obtain freelance writing and editing jobs, mostly in the travel field. But when travel came to a halt, so did travel writing. Her regular outlets went out of business. That took away any funds she could use for home improvements. To stay safe from the virus, given her medical diagnoses, Debbie stayed pretty isolated. She was heartbroken when the women’s workout center she’d used for years was permanently shut down.

Her biggest practical worry for several years has been her old, leaking, rotting roof. After exhausting financial possibilities, she applied for several charitable services and grants, but so many people are already on the waiting lists that it could be years before any work begins. Debbie says that will be too late for her, as the roof issues worsen under the rain and extreme heat, and homeowners’ insurance becomes more expensive.

Roofers who have given estimates cite major problems: Massive rot; squirrel infestation/holes (see one in photo above); trees hit all four corners of the house, causing problems; there are dips in the roof; shingles stick up and are rotting; siding needs to be redone on the back side of the chimney; clips under vent pipes are improperly installed; areas of rotted soffit; active leaks in two ceiling spaces in the house. They say patching just won’t help anymore.

Debbie, who is a private person – she says “I talk a lot, but I don’t tell a lot” – realizes it’s time to push her pride aside and ask for much-needed help. “I’ve been independent my whole life, but at this point, I’m pretty desperate. Not only would I feel safer during storms and hurricane season, but if I could get a new roof, that would mean I don’t have to worry about it every day of my life and could continue to concentrate on paying off my little house.”

She says she realizes there are many folks who are worse off than she. “I hope they can get the help they need and that they have family and friends to support them. I’m not lucky enough to have that here but I’m hoping I have old friends who might reach out. It would be a comfort to feel like I have people who care.”