CASE 47
At 49, Ms. C unexpectedly became mom to her three young cousins. It's a role she embraces and, ultimately, she would like to adopt these youngsters. But the job that supported her just fine when she lived on her own is no longer enough now that she's caring for a family of four. She needs just about everything to make a home for her new children — detergent, clothes and shoes and three twin beds. She also would like to buy the children games and bicycles.
CASE 48
All of the money is the world won't save Ms. D. She's dying, and that's just the way it is. She was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2003, again in 2008 and yet again in 2010. The cancer has spread to her ovaries and her kidneys; the doctors give her two years. She can't keep food down and now weighs 90 pounds. She can't clean her home because she is so weak. Medicaid and Medicare help, but she still has enormous medical bills. She could use money to help cover transportation costs to her doctors and for a microwave oven to make cooking a little easier.
CASE 49
On a cold day in March of 2010, Ms. G and her daughters, ages 12 and 5, survived a house fire that destroyed most of their meager possessions. The bedding, shoes, clothes, living room furniture, washer and drier, dolls, favorite books, even the eldest child's little digital camera — all ruined. Ms. G is no quitter. She is a responsible, single mom with a full-time job as a housekeeper at a local hospital. But with an income of less than $1,600 a month and a mortgage and utilities to pay, Ms. G has little left to spend on gifts.
A certificate for some toys and decent used household items to replace those that were lost would help the Santa of this little household make Christmas special for her girls.
Profiles by Diane Toroian Keaggy and Paul Hampel of the Post-Dispatch.
