Bob's Angels
Bob and his son Michael last January. Playing in thier yard. What life is all about.
Before I begin requesting money from complete strangers and family and friends. I'd like to tell you a little about myself and how I came to meet The Hodierne family.
My name is Moriah Di Maria. I live in the quaint town of Hackettstown, NJ with my husband Mark and our little 17 year old Maltese Angel. We've lived here for just over a year. Our first home together. We couldnt wait to start our life and our family. Upon moving in we were greeted by our next door neighbors, Bob & Lisa Hodierne both in their mid 40's and their son Michael age 9. We had some big shoes to fill being the new kids on the block. As the previous owners of our home were super friendly and occasionally thew some neighborhood house parties. We knew we had to make an impression. Being first time home owners we definitly needed some guidence. Bob and Lisa took us under thier wing. Letting us borrow anything we needed, this included borrowing their rake, which I of course broke :( Dont worry I immediatly replaced it as well as bought my own in the event I broke it again. And then there was that time I went knocking on thier door at 7am asking to borrow their ladder so that we could climb into our upstairs bedroom while the downstairs floor was getting sanded and stained. ( bad idea to stay in the house while you're floors are getting done) Bob and Lisa must have thought we were nuts. But they helped us out any chance we could get. Watering our garden while we were away, Helping shovel the snow last winter, and raking the leaves. At christmas time they brought us gifts as well as all the neighbors, and in the fall they stopped by to give us some apples they had picked at a local orchard. Needless to say Bob and Lisa have been the best first neighbors Mark and I could have ever asked for.
Now about Bob.
The day we met both Lisa and Bob November 2014, they told us quite casually that Bob had brain cancer. I had never actually met anyone with brain cancer before. So i was quite shocked, very naieve and really didnt know what to say to that. I had just met them and they made it sound casual. I tend to be an analyzer and a camelion when it comes to people. So i followed their lead, expressed my concern and stayed calm. He seemed just fine standing there in my dining room. I figured, this is something they've been dealing with for a while, and they've found that their best approach to dealing with it is being transparent about it. Over the past year I've had many conversations with Bob. He no longer was able to work, and I worked from home. So we bumped into each other quite often. Whether he was walking their 3 dogs or shovling snow, raking leaves or planting flowers we always sparked up a conversation. As I got more comfortable I would ask how he was doing and if there was any changes. His cancer was inoperable but he still tried many outlets to try and fight it. Usually he would tell me that it was at a stand still not growing, but also not diminishing. Over time I noticed his memory started to decrease but he was still the same Bob, Positive upbeat and always with a friendly smile. As a fly on the wall I watched from my window to their home, Bob did everything with his Son. He spent as much time with him as he could , Playing outside in the snow last winter, teaching him about plants and flowers. Spending every minute to give Michael the best last year of this life. Never knowing when that last moment would be. He had already lived a year past the time frame the doctors had origionally gave him and that was a year ago when we first met him. Bob's fight ended today December 17th 2016. I watched the night before as the ambulance took him away. There seemed no urgency. I thought maybe he was having a rough night. These past few weeks I could tell there was a change in Bob. He was having trouble walking. I was hoping it was just a rough patch. But it seems the cancer finally took its course. 8 days. 8 days before Christmas, and this family, a wife, a son lost the one person they cared about the most. I heard his passing was peacfull. I heard a harp played for him in the hospital as he took his last breath. Although it was so sudden, I'm happy to hear that his last moments were peacfull. I live so close to them, and yet I felt completely helpless. And then I thought. I can change that. I CAN help them. And I will.
Lisa is a hardworking Mom. She's been doing everything she could to pay the bills while taking care of her sick husband. Knowing that one day in the future she would have to raise her son on her own and say goodbye to the love of her life. She derserves a break, she deserves some help. So I decided to help raise some money for her and Michael. Being that Bob passed away so close to Christmas. A time for joy and love and family. This memory will forever play every year a week before christmas. I'd like to alter this memory a bit. I'd like them to know that this year, This Christmas, the world decided to lend a helping hand. When they think of Bob and how hard this moment was today, They can also remember that during this hard time there were friendly strangers, brothers and sisters of the world wanting to help save their Christmas.
I thought 5,000 was a good enough amount to set as a goal. 5,000 will help towards christmas presents, groceries for the next couple of months and their mortgage payments, car insurance. Every day bills. Its a goal. If we dont reach it. Lisa and Michael get to keep whatever is raised. think simply. just 30.00 (gas money)
from 150 people is $4,500. Please like, share and donate whatever you'd like and of course only if you can. I know its Christmas, and all of us at this point maybe only have pennies. But if you're willing to share a penny, I know Lisa and Michael will be so incredibly grateful. I'm hoping to make a deadline for January First 2016. Wouldnt it be a nice way for them to start off the New year?! Thank you for taking the time to read my story. Would you join me in being one of Bob's angels here on earth?