Help PE Fix Her Home

Hi, my name is PE and I need your help. I am widowed and I am trying to begin my life again on my own, and it has presented some big challenges. Let me tell you a little bit of my story.

Our family moved to the Central Valley of California in 2006. My husband was the sole provider, and I was a SAHM to 3 teenagers. We enjoyed the pace of our small town life and immersed ourselves in our new community, just doing everyday life. In 2011, my husband of 39 years was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease and degenerative osteoarthritis. He was laid off from his job, and although he worked many part-time jobs, he had no medical insurance. We eventually lost our home and needed to find him care. He was an Irish citizen so we made the difficult decision to move overseas, saying goodbye to our three adult children..

We left everything, including our truck and trailer, in storage and found an apartment along the Border Region with Northern Ireland. While being treated for Parkinson's, my husband was diagnosed with cancer and died at the end of October, 2019. I was alone and on my own. I didn't qualify for any programs or help, as I was in the process of qualifying for Irish citizenship, but only had resident alien status. I was overwhelmed with grief, and was struggling with a very difficult housing situation when the COVID pandemic hit.

I came to realize that I would be better off back in the States, so as travel restrictions eased, I packed up and returned to retrieve my trailer and truck, and begin rebuilding my life. I have been able to make the truck road-worthy. The trailer, my home, did not fare as well. I am faced with about $7,500 in repair to make it habitable. The repair estimate includes the roof, windows, and inside living space that all incurred water damage, as well as much needed maintenance repair and registration.

My friends have encouraged me to reach out and ask for your help in facing this challenge on my journey to build a new life. I will have a place to live and heal and begin to think about how I can convert the hardship I have gone through into helping others. I am a strong believer in "paying it forward". Your generosity today will allow me to pursue my dreams of helping and working with others, especially women, who may find themselves in difficult life challenges, but will know they need not face them alone. Your help today will not only impact my life, but the lives of many others in the years to come. Thank you all so much.

With a grateful heart,

PE