Hurricane Ian: WWII Cadet Nurse Homeless at 99

Thelma Gulden is NOT your typical 99-year-old.

Think Betty White without the acting career. Instead, a life of service during WWII as a Cadet Nurse, 56 years as a nurse, and a lifetime of volunteering in her community.

When she turned 98, she rode an elephant.

When she turned 99, she went up in a helicopter.

She will be 100 in June and has already reserved the hall, the caterer and the band for her party. She's hoping that Tom Selleck will come as a guest.

To say she is full of life would be an understatement.

The last few years have been hard for Thelma, but she's a survivor and a fighter.

In 2020 she lost her husband of 62 years.

In 2021 she was in intensive care for ten days, fighting for her life with COVID, with doctors not believing someone her age could survive.

She won that battle and less than six weeks later became the oldest patient at Sarasota Memorial Hospital to undergo TAVR heart surgery for aortic valve replacement.

The doctors didn't think she'd survive COVID, let alone her heart failure, but she not only survived, but she also went on to move back into her home, living alone & independently as she turned 99.

One of the things that fueled her while recovering was her deep desire to get back to her home, her friends and her community.

For the last 32 years, Thelma has made her home in Oakwood Manor, a 55+ mobile home park. Undoubtedly, the Oakwood Manor community contributes to Thelma's youthful energy.

She can be found almost daily playing cards, mahjong, bingo or leading the Oakwood Manor golf cart parades.

When she was younger, she led the free health screenings for residents; she was an active volunteer for over ten years on election day and volunteered in a local food pantry for many years.

She is an Oakwood Manor legend.

Serving and giving to others has been her life calling.

Now it's her turn to be on the receiving end.

Thelma and millions of Floridians like her had their lives forever changed after Hurricane Ian ripped through Southwest Florida.

Thankfully, Thelma could shelter in place at my home (I am her great-niece) in northern Sarasota, keeping her safe. However, Thelma's beloved home was severely hit when the storm was over.

The entire front half of her home was destroyed. She lost furniture, electronics, food, clothing, a washer & dryer, photos, puzzles, and so much more. It is no longer safe for her to enter her home.

Routine home maintenance was out of her budget, and like many Floridians who live in mobile homes, insurance was out of Thelma's meager budget. Like many Americans, she has no savings and has outlived her retirement.

Thelma is one of the few remaining 120,000 Cadet Nurses who served during World War II. She was sworn in by Eleanor Roosevelt in 1943 and proudly took her oath to serve her country. Most people do not realize the Cadet Nurses remain the only uniformed corps members from World War II not to be recognized as veterans. Because of that, Thelma does not qualify for any VA assistance.

She is a proud woman, who never had children of her own, never asked for help and refused state aid when she qualified.

She wants to live the rest of her days (she's shooting for 105) living independently in her home and her beloved community.

The estimates to repair her home has become more than she can fathom. Just replacing her carport, which is mandatory in her community, is at least $20,000. An unattainable amount for a woman her age and situation. Yet she's not in any condition to be in a nursing home like most people her age and younger. While she walks with a cane and no longer drives her car, she's sharp as a tack, funnier than most comedians and more active than people half her age.

Watch Thelma and me in the video below talk about what it felt like losing her home the first time she saw the devastation in person on Saturday, October 1, 2022.

Please help us raise money to fix Thelma's home, so she can safely return home and live out her days in Oakwood Manor, surrounded by her friends, her social life and the community that has kept her young at heart for the last 32 years.

She is one of the very few remaining WWII cadet nurses, and she deserves to spend the remainder of her days secure in her home.

Thank you for supporting Thelma and sharing her story.

Any amount will help. Crowdfunding is powerful and can make a huge impact. $5, $10, any amount. 100% of the funds raised will go directly to assisting Thelma to get safely back into her home.