Financial Assistance for Tim and Tamara

I am putting together this gofundme on behalf of my dad, Tim Harvey, and his wife Tamara Johnson. Both Tim and Tamara have been navigating serious health issues that have left them essentially unable to generate income for the past few years.

Update, 09 Jun 2024:

This update is well overdue. We successfully moved my dad and Tamara up to Virginia Beach several months ago. We lucked into an affordable apartment that is a five minute walk from my house so I can easily stop over to assist them with pretty much anything. Your donations have made a great difference in my dad and Tamara staying afloat and they (and I) are so very grateful - thank you, everyone!

Update, 14 Jan 2024:

Thanks to Mike B. from the Class of '63 stoking the fire, a wave of donations has brought the total (not all of which were through gofundme) to over $6,500 - truly amazing!

My dad and Tamara ended up staying in Florida for two more months (made possible in part by these donations) which allowed them to continue with numerous medical appointments. The plan now is to move them to Virginia Beach at the end of January. We are looking for affordable and suitable apartments while simultaneously preparing to accommodate them in our house for as long as needed if we can't find something that meets both requirements.

Thank you to everyone who made a donation or read this and sent your best wishes!

Update, 06 Oct 2023:

A huge thank you to everyone that has generously donated so far (mostly outside of gofundme), totaling $650.

Tamara has booked a temporary rental in Naples for the months of November and December so that she and my dad can keep existing medical appointments and scheduled treatments and arrange for further specialist tests to try to get to the reason for my dad's debilitating gastro issues (under the care and direction of his excellent new primary care physician at the VA). The rental is near their storage unit and my dad is familiar with the area, which is important given his memory issues. Tamara is also dealing with a broken ankle while preparing to move.

They have an urgent need to raise approximately $3,500 for the temporary rental for those two months (this is the remaining cost for the rental after applying donations and support from family members).

Thanks for reading, your consideration, and sending positive thoughts their way!

Original posting:

What the funds raised will be used for: Staying afloat for up to the next year: Paying rent (location unknown so far), health insurance and co-pays, car expenses (gas, maintenance, insurance), utilities (if they are a separate cost wherever they end up living), cell phones, storage unit (unless next housing makes it not needed), groceries and nutritional supplements, credit card payments (major part of covering previous 2 years' of expenses), and all other regular living expenses.

Background on their current situation.

Tim had a substantial impairment to his mental capacity which coincided with the COVID vaccinations he received in February and March of 2021. He is still unable to concentrate, think, and remember many things sufficiently to do much beyond basic tasks. He worked with VA doctors and a few excellent specialist doctors, without achieving any improvement in the vaccine after-effects. This was compounded by dental conditions requiring removal of all his natural teeth. There continues to be unknown gastrointestinal issues he has been living with since his colon cancer surgery in 2015.

In 2021, Tamara was diagnosed with Stage IV Sezary Syndrome, considered incurable. This is a rare aggressive blood/bone marrow cancer variant of Cutaneous T-Cell Lymphoma. In its worst stage, it left her unable to walk or use her hands and she was on the edge of death. Tamara has recently made nearly miraculous progress toward recovery, against all odds of survival.

Both Tim and Tamara have spent most of their working lives helping others and they want to get back to doing that work. Through the kindness and generosity of friends and family, they have been able to cover some expenses and had a place to live, but the current arrangement is coming to an end with the condo being sold. Consequently, they must vacate the condo in North Naples, FL where they reside, by the end of October. There is currently nowhere for them to go next that they can afford. We are hoping to create a Plan B. Plan C involves them separately moving in with family in Virginia and Nevada. This would be much better than being homeless, although it would be heartbreaking for these soulmates to be so far apart and as they help care for each other, would potentially be a setback for their continued healing. This also would be detrimental in getting back on their feet.

Tim and Tamara are looking for help in the form of a place to live together or some kind of financial assistance that would support them finding housing and covering the many expenses of every-day living. If you have any ideas, offerings, or know of situations that might be beneficial, please get in touch.

I have left out many details while trying to quickly convey the urgency of the situation and a sense of the recent history. Tim and Tamara (and I) would be happy to share more about the work Tim and Tamara were doing, other housing options that have been explored, and answer any questions you may have.