CASE 80
On Halloween 2010, B and her three daughters were walking down the street when the four of them were hit by a car. They all suffered extensive injuries. The youngest girl, now 6, was paralyzed. She requires a feeding tube and has trouble breathing. By the time she was released from the hospital, B lacked appropriate housing, so the little girl was taken into the custody of the Children's Division. B has remained strong through all of this, and she wants to bring her family back together. She needs help finding a place to live, and she'll need help to furnish it. Food and clothing are in short supply, too — and B would like to be able to do something for her girls for Christmas.
CASE 81
R does the best she can despite suffering from chronic back pain and debilitating depression and schizophrenia. The 53-year-old lives on her own and tries to balance household expenses with the extremely prohibitive cost of the medications she needs to get through each day. R's efforts were dealt a significant setback earlier this year in a house fire that cost her every possession. To get back on her feet, R this Christmas would greatly appreciate some financial assistance to cover the cost of the medications along with gift certificates for food, household items, a bed and furniture.
CASE 82
Janice, 66, would like nothing more than to shower her 2-year-old granddaughter with gifts come Christmas morning. Living on a fixed income due to diabetes, heart problems and other disabilities, Janice's wish is all but impossible. Still, Janice hopes to have something to share upon awakening Dec. 25 in the one-bedroom apartment she shares with her daughter and granddaughter. The wish list includes clothing, shoes and gift certificates.
Profiles by Sarah Bryan Miller and Steve Giegerich, of the Post-Dispatch.
