Hurricane Ian Relief for Janet and Benny

Hurricane Ian has displaced so many wonderful people, including our mom and her husband, Benny. My name is Loni Branon, and my brother David Dussault, his wife, Sarah, and my husband, Kyle, are helping raise funds for our mom and Benny as they process the aftermath of Hurricane Ian and work to rebuild their lives. Their home is no longer livable, and they are now faced with months of cleanup while trying to determine how and where to go next.

For those who know them, you know that they are some of the most caring and supportive people. They are always there in a time of need: to cook a meal and leave it at a front door, help with a new building project, do odds and ends to lessen the load for others, or to be a shoulder to cry on.

In 2016, they made a decision to leave Vermont and permanently reside in Florida. They purchased a fixer-upper in Port Charlotte and, over the past 6 years, put all of their energy into renovating it and turning it into their retirement home. This was thought to be the final home Benny would renovate after many, many years of building houses.

Benny has adult onset Cystic Fibrosis which now significantly impacts his daily life and has started to make physical labor quite challenging. Our mom also struggles with her health issues that limit what she can do physically. Knowing they had finally finished the work on their home was a huge relief and gave such peace of mind as they started being impacted by health-related challenges.

Unfortunately, due to the extensive damage of Hurricane Ian, they are now in a situation, like many, where they are awaiting the okay to visit the destruction in Port Charlotte and start digging through the remains of their home to try to salvage what they can.

With insurance potentially months away from being processed and the understanding that it will be minimal given the age of their home, the traumatic stress and realization of the entire process have made the financial worry almost unbearable. Therefore, we would like to ask for your support during this time and greatly appreciate anything you can do. Our deepest thanks from all of us.