April Rodriguez and Family
Donativo protegido
April’s Story
We meet people throughout life day to day. Some come and go and some you meet in 7th Grade Home room like my sweet friend April Dixon Rodriguez. That was roughly 30 years ago. We now refer to each other as sisters. We have experienced so much in life together in these 30 years. Unfortunately, the one thing no one ever wants to experience is Cancer. April was diagnosed with breast cancer late 2017 by Feb. 2018 she had a double mastectomy and undergoing Chemo treatments. At times, she has been so sick from the chemo that it has delayed her chemo treatments to the point about 3 weeks ago, she had to go back in for emergency surgery to remove the remaining cancer that showed up on a recent scan. She has remained positive, in good spirits and is fighting every day. During all of this prior to really understanding the cancer situation she would be faced with. April and her husband Ray were in the middle of selling their current home to buy another home. A home they thought was going to be a simple fixer upper. Turns out the home is way more of a project then they could have ever imagined and needs extensive work. The home is not habitable enough for April to live in with her immune system weakened by the Chemo. She is currently living in a camper on the property. The thought of all of this was getting to me and after months of asking if you need anything to let me know I am here for you. She has not said anything regarding. Other than maybe some chocolates. Really, what could she say? I had to start thinking like April. If there was anything bothering her, I knew it would have to be her boys and her struggle to keep everything as normal as she possibly could for them. My thought was she needs to be in her own home recovering from treatments and getting better. I made arrangements to visit with April and Ray 2 weeks ago and see the home they purchased. I initially thought how bad could it be. Paint a few rooms, move some furniture in and get the house together. Seeing it for myself was disheartening. There is no way I can help in its current situation. We talked for hours about everything and then April said it “I just want my babies to have a home again”. Along with extensive medical bills they will have, there is just not enough time or money to complete the do it yourself job they initially set out do. Initially April did not want anyone to know she even has cancer, but thanks to Mike Towne for convincing her, we can now work on getting her some help. We have a big community and people are willing to help her. I finally got her permission to proceed with all of this. So let us get April and her family in their home so she can start focusing on beating cancer.
We are looking to raise roughly 60,000 to get the home move in ready. The home is currently gutted and needs a new A/C, Plumbing, and electrical all of it brought up to code. There is no kitchen, flooring and or bathrooms. Ray has worked hard on the Demo of the property every night and weekend he could but at this time, it is just more than one man can do. If you are not in a position to donate money, then please consider donating your time to help with renovations this to will be greatly appreciated.
Once we raise some money, we will be having a few weekend warriors to help with the Drywall, Painting and other tasks that every homeowner has done. Please contact me via Email if you are interested in helping with this matter.
Thank you,
Shawnda Towne
We meet people throughout life day to day. Some come and go and some you meet in 7th Grade Home room like my sweet friend April Dixon Rodriguez. That was roughly 30 years ago. We now refer to each other as sisters. We have experienced so much in life together in these 30 years. Unfortunately, the one thing no one ever wants to experience is Cancer. April was diagnosed with breast cancer late 2017 by Feb. 2018 she had a double mastectomy and undergoing Chemo treatments. At times, she has been so sick from the chemo that it has delayed her chemo treatments to the point about 3 weeks ago, she had to go back in for emergency surgery to remove the remaining cancer that showed up on a recent scan. She has remained positive, in good spirits and is fighting every day. During all of this prior to really understanding the cancer situation she would be faced with. April and her husband Ray were in the middle of selling their current home to buy another home. A home they thought was going to be a simple fixer upper. Turns out the home is way more of a project then they could have ever imagined and needs extensive work. The home is not habitable enough for April to live in with her immune system weakened by the Chemo. She is currently living in a camper on the property. The thought of all of this was getting to me and after months of asking if you need anything to let me know I am here for you. She has not said anything regarding. Other than maybe some chocolates. Really, what could she say? I had to start thinking like April. If there was anything bothering her, I knew it would have to be her boys and her struggle to keep everything as normal as she possibly could for them. My thought was she needs to be in her own home recovering from treatments and getting better. I made arrangements to visit with April and Ray 2 weeks ago and see the home they purchased. I initially thought how bad could it be. Paint a few rooms, move some furniture in and get the house together. Seeing it for myself was disheartening. There is no way I can help in its current situation. We talked for hours about everything and then April said it “I just want my babies to have a home again”. Along with extensive medical bills they will have, there is just not enough time or money to complete the do it yourself job they initially set out do. Initially April did not want anyone to know she even has cancer, but thanks to Mike Towne for convincing her, we can now work on getting her some help. We have a big community and people are willing to help her. I finally got her permission to proceed with all of this. So let us get April and her family in their home so she can start focusing on beating cancer.
We are looking to raise roughly 60,000 to get the home move in ready. The home is currently gutted and needs a new A/C, Plumbing, and electrical all of it brought up to code. There is no kitchen, flooring and or bathrooms. Ray has worked hard on the Demo of the property every night and weekend he could but at this time, it is just more than one man can do. If you are not in a position to donate money, then please consider donating your time to help with renovations this to will be greatly appreciated.
Once we raise some money, we will be having a few weekend warriors to help with the Drywall, Painting and other tasks that every homeowner has done. Please contact me via Email if you are interested in helping with this matter.
Thank you,
Shawnda Towne
Organizador y beneficiario
Shawnda Towne
Organizador
Jacksonville, FL
April Rodriguez
Beneficiario