Help Claudia Replace her AC Compressor: TEXAS SUMMER Is HERE

Hi, everyone. This is an extremely urgent fundraiser for a dear family friend, Claudia Dixon Caplinger. She lives in my hometown of Houston, Texas, and her 24-year-old air conditioning compressor broke last week. The replacement estimate is $5,671. Claudia is retired, disabled, has health problems that make this a serious emergency. She does not have the funds to pay for a new compressor in order to get her air conditioner working again.

Summer in Houston is no joke, and it is fast-approaching. It’s not even here yet— it's only April — yet it already reached 87 degrees inside Claudia's home at night, with her fans going at full speed. She is not getting enough sleep and waking up exhausted. It is already having a negative impact pertaining to her pre-existing health conditions. Also important: Claudia has two dogs with thick, long hair, making this a dire situation for them as well: Turk (an 11-year-old Great Pyranees--with German Shepherd & Border Collie in him, too, she says) and Tandy (a 4-year-old Australian Shepherd mix). Claudia, Turk, and Tandy need help urgently. She told me that the almost-$6K estimate to replace the AC compressor feels like it may as well be $5 million, because the two amounts feels equally out of reach. Claudia needs help. Whatever you can spare, every dollar helps helps right now.

Please donate and/or share this fundraiser wherever, and with whomever, you can- - ASAP.

How I know Claudia:

Claudia has been one of my mother's closest friends since they met at church in 1989. I was just a child in the 1980s, but I befriended her son as I grew a bit older. He and I went to school together in the mid-90s. The cover photo I chose for Claudia's fundraiser is actually a photo that I took of my mother (left) and Claudia (right) at my son Jonah's high school graduation party in May 2023.

Claudia has been through so much in her life. If you heard the full story, you'd be blown away by the struggles and adversity she's faced— but you'd also be struck and impressed by what a strong, tough woman she is, full of perseverance, faith, and tenacity. She's a kind, caring person, and a good friend. Claudia took me into her home after Hurricane Harvey. She is a survivor in many ways, including in the breast cancer survivor sense — and she is an over-comer (as my father would say). Over just the past couple of years:

Claudia has health issues that prevent her from working. Making it month-to-month is a genuine struggle. She works a few hours each week, out of absolute necessity, but it is very hard on physically — and against doctor’s orders. She is employed 4 days per week, for about 1.5 hours each day, caring for "early birds" at a private school; in plain English: she takes care of about seven 2-year-olds for 1.5 hours, 4 days/week before school begins. (Side note: that's wild; I don't know if I could handle the stress or energy level of that many toddlers.) She also assists in childcare one night per week at the related church for three hours. This extra work physically exhausts her and is bad for her health. This week, with the heat, has been exceptionally difficult. Claudia simply doesn't have extra money that she can set aside monthly for emergencies like car repairs, let alone to purchase a brand new air conditioning compressor (at an estimated cost of $5,671). The unit itself apparently lasted for 24 years before it bit the dust, according to the service technician. As I said, she works a few hours per week out of absolute necessity.

As for some of Claudia's more acute health problems that affect her in a major way right now: she has 10 retina tears and 5 hemorrhages in her left eye. She's not supposed to be doing anything at all, according to her doctor, including bend down. The problem with her eye started about a year ago, and it has been immensely limiting. PERTINENT TO HEAT: Claudia is a breast cancer survivor. She has lingering problems as a result, though the cancer is thankfully gone. She explained to me that when it becomes humid, she now has trouble breathing because of damage the cancer did to her lungs. Additional FYI from me: Houston is known as "The Bayou City"; it was not given that name for its dry climate. Even in great health, the humidity is miserable. I checked to see what the humidity was in Houston late Wednesday night. It was cloudy, in the 80s, no chance of rain... with 87% humidity. Disgusting— but also dangerous for Claudia.

The temperatures in Texas will begin hitting the 90s in the coming week, and it will make the heat inside Claudia's home, for her and for her two dogs, unbearable. It will only get worse from there. From June to September, the "feels like" temperature can occasionally soar to the mid-100s, sometimes for days on end. The actual temp can, and occasionally will, pass 100F degrees -- but the "feels like" is always a 5-10 degrees hotter regardless of temperature, due to the high humidity. May can be VERY hot, and April is the month when the weather starts to become highly unpleasant, especially indoors, as Claudia is experiencing now. The truth is (ask anyone who's lived in Houston for 2 or 3 years), the weather has always been wacky, so it can turn unseasonably hot at an earlier date than expected and become unsafe for anyone without AC-- especially those with medical conditions. That is what makes this situation so URGENT. From what Claudia told me in an email last night, the situation has already become urgent, as in: the temperatures are unsafe for her right now.

**Anecdotal, but relevant, personal aside: I spent 3-4 weeks in June 2016 without AC in Houston. Doing what was necessary to stay hydrated, sleep, and stay alive was like a part-time job; it took actual strategy and effort. I discovered some useful tips about how to keep one's body temp as low as possible via trial & error. The most useful tip: sit on the floor in your underwear, don't rest your body on furniture, take deep breaths, and don't move any part of your body. Simple, right?**

But while my roommate and I were younger (I was 35), healthy, and felt up to the task, we could have found somewhere to go in a pinch if the heat grew too dangerous. Unfortunately for Claudia, that is NOT the case. When the heat begins to seriously impact her breathing and become dangerous for her, leaving on the fly won't be as simple. She has Turk and Tandy, and it's been a perpetual struggle in the past to find a friendly place that will take them all, or just the dogs, for free. I have met the pups and stayed with them. They are beautiful , but are also large, a tad boisterous, and they shed a lot of hair. Claudia has sadly lost her parents and siblings, and she has no close extended family to stay with nearby. These dogs are her family, and she would NEVER leave them temporarily, unless she knew they were in a safe place and well-cared for. (Claudia is an excellent dog mom.)

I'm sure there is other pertinent information I forgot to add. I am feeling the stress and pressure of the situation because I am worried, too. Updates will follow. For the time being, please HELP CLAUDIA.

Donate, share. Thank you so much, those who read this far. We appreciate you.