Mom and Dad are DEAD: Ben NEEDS help
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Benjamin Mathis is a 19 year old college student who has lost both of his parents. His father, Isaac Mathis, died 6 years ago to a heart attack, leaving his mother Debra Mathis to take over all of the financial burdens and debt left for herself and her son.
Debra Mathis had recently retired when she began to experience a pain in lower back--this pain was later discovered to be stage 4 pancreatic cancer.
On Saturday, March 23rd, 2019 at 6:09 PM paramedics were unable to rehabilitate Debra and at the age of 61, she was pronounced dead.
Now, Benjamin Mathis, an only child, remains without a mother and a father. He must assume the responsibilities and financial burdens left by his mother.
Who made this and why?
I am Adilia, Ben’s close friend and have been supporting him throughout this journey. Wednesday night (March 20), I was informed of how Ben’s mother was dying in the hospital. The next day, I accompanied him to MedStar Hospital in D.C. Entering the room, I saw Mrs. Mathis, a once fuller figured woman with a radiant smile, who was now replaced with a thin, frail frame, sulken eyes and a lifeless facial expression. Seeing Mrs. Mathis in such a state drove me to tears; Mrs.Mathis was is a mother figure to me. I began to play worship music in the room, placed my hands on her and prayed for a miracle. Mom’s spirits were lifted, giving us hope in the scary situation.
Our hopes were high and we believed things would workout some way, and somehow she would live. Mom was released for an at-home hospice the following day. Saturday evening, Ben’s best friend, Jamal, calls me and tells me about an ambulance at Ben’s house. I fall on my knees, begin to pray and beg Jesus for a miracle.
At 6:11 PM, Ben texts me that his mother has died. My mother and I rush over to Ben’s house, and upon pulling up to the house we see the police and paramedics.
Entering the house, I see Mom on the floor, dead, with paramedics hovering around her. Life seems to slow down for a moment and thoughts of what would happen to Ben flooded my mind. Moving my gaze away from Mom’s body, I look at Ben and see his composed demeanor. I walk over to him and give him a tight hug, telling him I love him. Ben is the strongest young man I have ever met. Within moments, neighbors and other visitors enter the house sobbing--Ben still held his composure. His entire world came tumbling down at once yet I still saw hope left in his eyes.
Being 19 years old myself and also in college, I feel so helpless. Ben’s support system is small and consists of myself, his uncle, his grandmother and best friend. I have made it my personal responsibility to be there for Ben, in one of the most difficult moments of his life.
Although the miracle of Mom surviving did not happen,we still believe another kind of miracle can happen. A miracle where Ben can get through this situation and have all of the resources, finances, and support he needs to move forward in life. We’re still trusting in God. I ask if you could please find it in your heart to be one of the helpers God uses in the miracle that Ben and his family get through this time.
How can we help Ben?:
Ben is a sophomore at Liberty University where he studies Business Entrepreneurship. Mom needed to be taken care of so Ben left his on-campus college lifestyle and moved back home to take care of her. Ben currently takes online classes and needs monetary funds to continue his education.
With both of his parents gone, Ben lives alone in the house he grew up in. However, the house has not been paid off, forcing Ben to make difficult financial decisions to keep the property his parents’ left him. Ben’s mother had taken out a loan of $200,000 to pay off the house and pay other expenses his late father left.
During the period of caring for his sick mother , a violent thunderstorm flooded the basement of the house in November 2018. Ben was unable to focus on this issue at the time and did not have the money to fix it. I am very concerned about Ben’s health as the basement has grown black mold in the walls and underneath the carpet. Inspectors visited the house, estimating that the overall cost to fix this would be around $6,000, not including renovation costs.
Ben and I believe the best thing for him to do is to try and salvage the house and continue living there.
Ben needs help paying off the house.
Although the option of selling the house has been looked into, we realize that having him living at someone else’s house would not be ideal for the long term. To keep the house, Ben would need to be able to pay all the monthly payments, which is something that Mom was barely able to do on her monthly retirement checks. The mortgage alone is 1,483$ and that is a monthly charge. Accounting for other monthly expenses such as the utilities, phone, internet, car payments, etc. The total monthly expenses add up to about $4,000.
As a solution to these problems, I suggested that Ben rent out the basement and use the payments from the tenants to pay off the mortgage. The issue with this is that the basement needs to have the mold removed and have the walls and floor renovated. We have also looked into the costs of adding a bathroom and shower which comes to about $12,000. With the mold removal, renovations, and bathroom/shower implementations, Ben is potentially looking at about $2,000 a month. This would help him purchase food and pay for other living essentials, including the monthly mortgage. God willing, Ben would be able to get out of debt and not worry about paying off the house, giving him more time to focus on earning his bachelor’s degree.
** The following information is very sensitive, and if you would like more details concerning this situation, please contact Ben via email
After his father’s passing, a couple of years later Ben’s mother entered into a seemingly serious relationship. Ben’s mom and her boyfriend were very close, there are pictures of them going to many locations that she had always wanted to go to like Luray Caverns(a place that she had wanted to go with her late husband). After many fun occasions, Mom was the happiest since her late husband’s passing and told Ben she believed her boyfriend was “the one”. There was little doubt that Ben’s mom was unhappy with her ex-boyfriend. He made many promises to her and had proposed to her giving her an engagement ring.
Everything seemed like things were turning for the better, however Ben’s mother ended up being scammed by her boyfriend and his many, empty promises. As mentioned earlier, Ben’s mother had taken out a loan of $200,000, in which she proceeded to give to her boyfriend who promised that he would reimburse with the million dollar settlement he expected to receive from a GEICO court case.
Ben is left with a tremendous amount of debt from the heartlessness of Mom’s ex-boyfriend. Ben’s mom was with her ex for over a year from 2017 to October 2018. What hurts Ben the most in this situation is the fact that the boyfriend stayed with Mom after her cancer diagnosis in July 2018, only TO SCAM HER MORE. It goes without saying that he was heartless, Mom even called him a sociopath at times as she would vent her frustration to Ben. Ben would ask her how much money she lent him in total and she would always say that she was too embarrassed to tell him. Ben’s house was more than likely close to being paid off, but it is believed that Mom’s ex coaxed for money while claiming he would reimburse her.
The situation’s future holds much uncertainty. It is difficult to prove that Mom’s ex boyfriend owes Mom money. There are many ways he could impose false accusations towards her, i.e gifting.
Ben desperately needs financial support right now, until he is able to become financially stable. His mother’s monthly retirement income ($1500) is insufficient to cover life expenses.
More details on Ben’s Story from Ben:
Hello, my name is Benjamin Mathis. I am the only son of Debra and Isaac Mathis. I’m 19. I was born in Alexandria Virginia but have lived in Upper Marlboro MD all my life. I attended Riverdale Baptist School from first to twelfth grade, during which many things occurred. Although many unpleasant things happened during my time at Riverdale, I can start my mentioning the most influential parts. For starters, I was bullied in both middle and high school. I was always a tough kid, so this did not phase me much, but it also meant that I didn’t have very many friends when the next issues in my life came. In 9th grade (2013) my father passed due to a heart related issue which left me clueless on how a young boy should act and become a man. Losing a father hurts not just because you have lost someone that you love, but because you have lost a wealth of knowledge that the father could not impart upon you. Simple knowledge like how to groom a beard, how to cut your own hair, regular “guy” information. I lost that and all the knowledge about maintaining a car and a home. My dad was a man’s man, he wanted to handle all the business himself which allowed mom to be able to go to and from work in peace knowing that everything is taken care of at home. When he passed, my mom took over in areas that she had no clue of how to handle. My father left us with debt, luckily, his life insurance was able to pay off most of our debt, but the house payments remained. During this time in high school, I was confused as to what I was to do with my life. This is a normal concern for most people my age just from colleges asking what you want to be when you grow up, but this problem was magnified due to the lack of parental guidance with my father out of the picture. Eventually, I was able to overcome my father’s unexpected death and focus more on school and my own health. Sadly, in 10th grade, I was diagnosed with crohn’s disease which lowered my morale yet again. Dealing with crohns at a young age was challenging, it was even more challenging when I heard that there was no real cure for the disease and the worst thing that could happen would mean that I would have a colonoscopy bag (bag attached to colon). My crohns disease was severe, I missed two whole months of school in 11th grade because of my disease and lost more weight than I wanted to ever lose in my life. Thankfully, my gastroenterologist at Kaiser Capitol Hill in DC put me on a medicine called Remicade. This medicine was administered every six weeks at first and became every eight weeks after my symptoms improved. By my first year in college, I was essentially cured of my alleged “incurable” disease and saw a bright future at Liberty University (the only college I wanted to attend). My mom’s cancer diagnosis came only after one year in college and I was beyond shocked. The plans I had for the future were crushed and I began to distance myself from many of my friends. If you know me well enough, you know that I’m usually the one telling jokes and making everyone else laugh, well, it's hard to make yourself laugh in times of trouble but it has always been satisfying to hear people laughing at what I say sometimes. After another semester at liberty, my family and I agreed that it would be best for me to take my classes online (it’s a lot cheaper) so I can take care of my mother because my grandma could not stay with her anymore at that point (she was missing doctor’s appointments and everything she had back at home she couldn’t get here in Maryland). I took great care of my mother, drove her wherever she needed to go, cooked food, gave medicine, I even tucked her in at night every night. Right now, I must assume all of her responsibilities without any prior knowledge as well as continue my education. It goes without saying that I am unable to find time to do either school work or find a job currently. She passed only three days ago at the time of me writing this and I am in desperate need.
What will Ben do with the funds?
Upon receiving the 200k, Ben plans to pay of the home mortgage loan of 220,000 thousand which would lower his monthly bills by 1483$ and allow him to focus more on either other life expenses and his education. Knowing Ben for quite a few years, he never ceases to impress me with his wittiness and quick thinking. He is a very intelligent, young man who carries wholesome values and upholds himself to high standards. I believe Ben has the potential of obtaining a very successful future and with the help of your donations, he would be one step closer to achieving his life goals.
Any amount helps, and is greatly appreciated. If you are unable to donate, please spread Ben’s story and funding link to as many people as you know. Reaching this donation goal will provide some stability in Ben’s life and encourage him to keep pushing forward.
Important Info:
**Note from Ben:
“Feel free to email me here, pray for me and my family as we undergo the most difficult thing I’ve faced in my entire life."
“Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need.”
Matthew 6:33
“Give, and you will receive. Your gift will return to you in full--pressed down, shaken together to make room for more, running over, and poured into your lap. The amount you give will determine the amount you get back."
Luke 6:38
Debra Mathis had recently retired when she began to experience a pain in lower back--this pain was later discovered to be stage 4 pancreatic cancer.
On Saturday, March 23rd, 2019 at 6:09 PM paramedics were unable to rehabilitate Debra and at the age of 61, she was pronounced dead.
Now, Benjamin Mathis, an only child, remains without a mother and a father. He must assume the responsibilities and financial burdens left by his mother.
Who made this and why?
I am Adilia, Ben’s close friend and have been supporting him throughout this journey. Wednesday night (March 20), I was informed of how Ben’s mother was dying in the hospital. The next day, I accompanied him to MedStar Hospital in D.C. Entering the room, I saw Mrs. Mathis, a once fuller figured woman with a radiant smile, who was now replaced with a thin, frail frame, sulken eyes and a lifeless facial expression. Seeing Mrs. Mathis in such a state drove me to tears; Mrs.Mathis was is a mother figure to me. I began to play worship music in the room, placed my hands on her and prayed for a miracle. Mom’s spirits were lifted, giving us hope in the scary situation.
Our hopes were high and we believed things would workout some way, and somehow she would live. Mom was released for an at-home hospice the following day. Saturday evening, Ben’s best friend, Jamal, calls me and tells me about an ambulance at Ben’s house. I fall on my knees, begin to pray and beg Jesus for a miracle.
At 6:11 PM, Ben texts me that his mother has died. My mother and I rush over to Ben’s house, and upon pulling up to the house we see the police and paramedics.
Entering the house, I see Mom on the floor, dead, with paramedics hovering around her. Life seems to slow down for a moment and thoughts of what would happen to Ben flooded my mind. Moving my gaze away from Mom’s body, I look at Ben and see his composed demeanor. I walk over to him and give him a tight hug, telling him I love him. Ben is the strongest young man I have ever met. Within moments, neighbors and other visitors enter the house sobbing--Ben still held his composure. His entire world came tumbling down at once yet I still saw hope left in his eyes.
Being 19 years old myself and also in college, I feel so helpless. Ben’s support system is small and consists of myself, his uncle, his grandmother and best friend. I have made it my personal responsibility to be there for Ben, in one of the most difficult moments of his life.
Although the miracle of Mom surviving did not happen,we still believe another kind of miracle can happen. A miracle where Ben can get through this situation and have all of the resources, finances, and support he needs to move forward in life. We’re still trusting in God. I ask if you could please find it in your heart to be one of the helpers God uses in the miracle that Ben and his family get through this time.
How can we help Ben?:
Ben is a sophomore at Liberty University where he studies Business Entrepreneurship. Mom needed to be taken care of so Ben left his on-campus college lifestyle and moved back home to take care of her. Ben currently takes online classes and needs monetary funds to continue his education.
With both of his parents gone, Ben lives alone in the house he grew up in. However, the house has not been paid off, forcing Ben to make difficult financial decisions to keep the property his parents’ left him. Ben’s mother had taken out a loan of $200,000 to pay off the house and pay other expenses his late father left.
During the period of caring for his sick mother , a violent thunderstorm flooded the basement of the house in November 2018. Ben was unable to focus on this issue at the time and did not have the money to fix it. I am very concerned about Ben’s health as the basement has grown black mold in the walls and underneath the carpet. Inspectors visited the house, estimating that the overall cost to fix this would be around $6,000, not including renovation costs.
Ben and I believe the best thing for him to do is to try and salvage the house and continue living there.
Ben needs help paying off the house.
Although the option of selling the house has been looked into, we realize that having him living at someone else’s house would not be ideal for the long term. To keep the house, Ben would need to be able to pay all the monthly payments, which is something that Mom was barely able to do on her monthly retirement checks. The mortgage alone is 1,483$ and that is a monthly charge. Accounting for other monthly expenses such as the utilities, phone, internet, car payments, etc. The total monthly expenses add up to about $4,000.
As a solution to these problems, I suggested that Ben rent out the basement and use the payments from the tenants to pay off the mortgage. The issue with this is that the basement needs to have the mold removed and have the walls and floor renovated. We have also looked into the costs of adding a bathroom and shower which comes to about $12,000. With the mold removal, renovations, and bathroom/shower implementations, Ben is potentially looking at about $2,000 a month. This would help him purchase food and pay for other living essentials, including the monthly mortgage. God willing, Ben would be able to get out of debt and not worry about paying off the house, giving him more time to focus on earning his bachelor’s degree.
** The following information is very sensitive, and if you would like more details concerning this situation, please contact Ben via email
After his father’s passing, a couple of years later Ben’s mother entered into a seemingly serious relationship. Ben’s mom and her boyfriend were very close, there are pictures of them going to many locations that she had always wanted to go to like Luray Caverns(a place that she had wanted to go with her late husband). After many fun occasions, Mom was the happiest since her late husband’s passing and told Ben she believed her boyfriend was “the one”. There was little doubt that Ben’s mom was unhappy with her ex-boyfriend. He made many promises to her and had proposed to her giving her an engagement ring.
Everything seemed like things were turning for the better, however Ben’s mother ended up being scammed by her boyfriend and his many, empty promises. As mentioned earlier, Ben’s mother had taken out a loan of $200,000, in which she proceeded to give to her boyfriend who promised that he would reimburse with the million dollar settlement he expected to receive from a GEICO court case.
Ben is left with a tremendous amount of debt from the heartlessness of Mom’s ex-boyfriend. Ben’s mom was with her ex for over a year from 2017 to October 2018. What hurts Ben the most in this situation is the fact that the boyfriend stayed with Mom after her cancer diagnosis in July 2018, only TO SCAM HER MORE. It goes without saying that he was heartless, Mom even called him a sociopath at times as she would vent her frustration to Ben. Ben would ask her how much money she lent him in total and she would always say that she was too embarrassed to tell him. Ben’s house was more than likely close to being paid off, but it is believed that Mom’s ex coaxed for money while claiming he would reimburse her.
The situation’s future holds much uncertainty. It is difficult to prove that Mom’s ex boyfriend owes Mom money. There are many ways he could impose false accusations towards her, i.e gifting.
Ben desperately needs financial support right now, until he is able to become financially stable. His mother’s monthly retirement income ($1500) is insufficient to cover life expenses.
More details on Ben’s Story from Ben:
Hello, my name is Benjamin Mathis. I am the only son of Debra and Isaac Mathis. I’m 19. I was born in Alexandria Virginia but have lived in Upper Marlboro MD all my life. I attended Riverdale Baptist School from first to twelfth grade, during which many things occurred. Although many unpleasant things happened during my time at Riverdale, I can start my mentioning the most influential parts. For starters, I was bullied in both middle and high school. I was always a tough kid, so this did not phase me much, but it also meant that I didn’t have very many friends when the next issues in my life came. In 9th grade (2013) my father passed due to a heart related issue which left me clueless on how a young boy should act and become a man. Losing a father hurts not just because you have lost someone that you love, but because you have lost a wealth of knowledge that the father could not impart upon you. Simple knowledge like how to groom a beard, how to cut your own hair, regular “guy” information. I lost that and all the knowledge about maintaining a car and a home. My dad was a man’s man, he wanted to handle all the business himself which allowed mom to be able to go to and from work in peace knowing that everything is taken care of at home. When he passed, my mom took over in areas that she had no clue of how to handle. My father left us with debt, luckily, his life insurance was able to pay off most of our debt, but the house payments remained. During this time in high school, I was confused as to what I was to do with my life. This is a normal concern for most people my age just from colleges asking what you want to be when you grow up, but this problem was magnified due to the lack of parental guidance with my father out of the picture. Eventually, I was able to overcome my father’s unexpected death and focus more on school and my own health. Sadly, in 10th grade, I was diagnosed with crohn’s disease which lowered my morale yet again. Dealing with crohns at a young age was challenging, it was even more challenging when I heard that there was no real cure for the disease and the worst thing that could happen would mean that I would have a colonoscopy bag (bag attached to colon). My crohns disease was severe, I missed two whole months of school in 11th grade because of my disease and lost more weight than I wanted to ever lose in my life. Thankfully, my gastroenterologist at Kaiser Capitol Hill in DC put me on a medicine called Remicade. This medicine was administered every six weeks at first and became every eight weeks after my symptoms improved. By my first year in college, I was essentially cured of my alleged “incurable” disease and saw a bright future at Liberty University (the only college I wanted to attend). My mom’s cancer diagnosis came only after one year in college and I was beyond shocked. The plans I had for the future were crushed and I began to distance myself from many of my friends. If you know me well enough, you know that I’m usually the one telling jokes and making everyone else laugh, well, it's hard to make yourself laugh in times of trouble but it has always been satisfying to hear people laughing at what I say sometimes. After another semester at liberty, my family and I agreed that it would be best for me to take my classes online (it’s a lot cheaper) so I can take care of my mother because my grandma could not stay with her anymore at that point (she was missing doctor’s appointments and everything she had back at home she couldn’t get here in Maryland). I took great care of my mother, drove her wherever she needed to go, cooked food, gave medicine, I even tucked her in at night every night. Right now, I must assume all of her responsibilities without any prior knowledge as well as continue my education. It goes without saying that I am unable to find time to do either school work or find a job currently. She passed only three days ago at the time of me writing this and I am in desperate need.
What will Ben do with the funds?
Upon receiving the 200k, Ben plans to pay of the home mortgage loan of 220,000 thousand which would lower his monthly bills by 1483$ and allow him to focus more on either other life expenses and his education. Knowing Ben for quite a few years, he never ceases to impress me with his wittiness and quick thinking. He is a very intelligent, young man who carries wholesome values and upholds himself to high standards. I believe Ben has the potential of obtaining a very successful future and with the help of your donations, he would be one step closer to achieving his life goals.
Any amount helps, and is greatly appreciated. If you are unable to donate, please spread Ben’s story and funding link to as many people as you know. Reaching this donation goal will provide some stability in Ben’s life and encourage him to keep pushing forward.
Important Info:
**Note from Ben:
“Feel free to email me here, pray for me and my family as we undergo the most difficult thing I’ve faced in my entire life."
“Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need.”
Matthew 6:33
“Give, and you will receive. Your gift will return to you in full--pressed down, shaken together to make room for more, running over, and poured into your lap. The amount you give will determine the amount you get back."
Luke 6:38
Organizer
Adilia Jones
Organizer
Kettering, MD