Care For Karen

Time is running out and in an attempt to help a friend who has always helped everyone around her, please read this and decide if you can help no matter the amount big or small! If you can't help please share . Karen Curcio is a friend to everyone. From the time I have known her, she has always been proactive, energetic, hard working, selfless, giving and generous. Now she is tired and beaten up.

24 years ago, Karen suffered a terrble injury, falling through a ceiling on to the concrete of her garage floor and shattered her lower spine. After an extensive surgery and some rods, clamps and spinal fusion along with months of recovery she has amazingly lead an almost normal life with not much pain. As Karen aged, now 58, her back has had some issues but nothing that stopped her everyday activities.

She purchased her home here in Point Pleasant 12.5 years ago to care for her mother. This inexpensive handy man special home had to be gutted to make it livable and to make room for her mom, two children and herself.

Her mom was aging and came to live with Karen and her family almost 15 years ago. As her mom 's health failed over the years Karen moved her work into the basement of her home to offer continuous care to her mom.  (Karen has been a hairdresser since 1975)
It wasn't easy and she rarely complained. Karen also had her two children to care for who were in middle and high school back then. Karen, a single mother, now for 19 years, found that caring for her mom was a wonderful opportunity for her two children to grow up with their grandmother. Everyone learned a lot from the experience and all was the better for it.

Karen takes great pride in her home as she has done almost everything herself aside from the initial gutting which took one year. You would never pass the house when she wasnt outside taking on some project. As her spinal fractures and fusion of 24 years catches up with her she is finding simple things a chore. Karen always managed to carve out the first hour in the morning to walk for her health with her rescue dogs and even that has become impossible due to chronic pain.

As her mother's health declined and hospice was brought in, they did not offer round the clock care until the last 3 days of her life. Karen did all the heavy lifting and adjusting that her mom needed and seriously upset her spinal injuries along with pulling her to a standing position many times a day until she became bed ridden and dead weight, thats where the latest injury occurred . She has numbness in her legs, a sciatica condition from a bulged disc and cannot stand for any length of time without unimaginable pain. She is in physical therapy and acupuncture now and hoping to evade surgery . Karen had thyroid cancer 8 years ago and unwent a total thyroid removal and takes daily medication because of that to replace thyroid function. That never leaves anyone feeling 100%.  She has a form of arthirtis affecting her hands that her doctor feels is from perhaps the rods in her back as a heavy metal toxicity. Currently, they are trying to determine the source of the arthritis type illness that does not show up as an arthritic condition in blood tests. Her hands are so distorted from this disease it's hard to look at them yet she has to use them each day. Grocery shopping is even difficult as she cannot lift much and her hands hurt. She continues to work most days in this condition.

Karen should be living her life to the fullest after giving 12 years of loving care to her mom but she is all but incapacitated on most days. The doctor suggests working only 50% or less of the time but that would cause further financial hardship. She is trying to get disability however it is a long process and her eligibility is minimal.

Karen was known to help many people during her single parenthood life in Point even though she did not have much herself. An elderly friend with no family was a constant figure at the home and a mentally impaired man and his dog were in her care for monthly food staples and the occasional 20 dollars for gas. She has fostered dogs to save their lives until she could find them a home. She has over the last 9 years offered free or less priced hair services to clients who had also fallen on hard times until they were on their feet. She even took in a friend and her 2 children for 10 months and offered her a room in her home for almost nothing.

Karen's business was thriving until Sandy hit in 2012. Although her damage was not that of the masses with flooding and houses being washed away  but she did have the electric line ripped of her home along with other wind damage. Others in the neighborhood had their electric back in 6 days, Karen waited more than 28 days. Kind neighbors on each side of her home sent in an electric line for the necessities. Her business all but shut down as their was not enough light in her basement. The care of her mother upon her diagnosis in November became that much more difficult due to the circumstances of the storm. Karen's home is still experiencing leaks and roof damage and inside water damage due to the storm which after 3 appeals with the state.

 Karen was able to have her mortgage refinanced after BOA caused many problems after the switch from Countrywide. Lender abuse was the cause and Karen was so grateful for the fix. However, the first payment of the new re- worked mortgage was due 4 days after the storm hit.  She was given a grace period which brought her payments up to date. When the lights came back on, she took months to catch up on business because her business was off by 30 % due to clients who were displaced from the storm or out of work because of the storm etc. She never regained her footing. As the economy continued to spiral she struggles today and pet sits to compensate.

In January, a few months after the storm, her mom was given a sad diagnosis and without the funds for more in home help, Karen struggled between work and mom's care. Taking care of the inside and  out of her home, her pets and her mom as well as trying to run a business and pet sitting to supplememt income has steadily worsened her health. Karen would hire the health aids and others for extra hours of care for her mom so she could work only to pay them with that same money in an attempt to keep her clients because cancelling and moving them become the unpopular norm.

After her moms final surgery she realized she would have to make funeral arrangements at some point. There was only a small life ins policy and not much left after 12 years of what her mom came with. Karen took care of the costs of the funeral almost completely on her own and sold her car to pay for the remaining balance. The kindness of a good friend and her husband got her a car  that was a trade in and only charged her what they gave for the trade.

All these circumstances have lead to Karen now behind on her mortage and in danger of losing her home. Karen wants to catch up and continue to pay her mortgage but she has to catch up first. She has NO credit card debt nor does she use them and is up to date on all utilities. She fell behind due to her mother's illness, loss of clientele and the increase in pain and inability to work as much.

Karen wants to stay in her home for a few more years due to her home based business which right now affords her the ability to rest her painful legs and back during the day. She is making arrangements to take in a boarder to help with housing costs so she can move forward. She is also currently looking for a job 2 or 3 days a week where she would not have to stand for long periods.

I know many people think, "well maybe she should get rid of her pets" but we are talking about someone who does not travel, shop or go out much . The pets are not a luxury they are her family and their costs are minimal at this point. She buys their food by searching the least expensive site each month and makes treats of carrots and string beans.

I know Karen since I am a toddler and I am just finding this all out now because she is beat up and tired. She was too proud and nervous to tell anyone and did not want to embarrass her children or cause an argument with her family. If she loses her home, she will lose her business and her animals could possibly be dispalced. I think you will agree it is an unfortunate set of circumstances. 100% of the proceeds will go directly to restoring the mortgage to good standing, repairing damage from Sandy inside and out of her home, medical bills and legal fees. 

Karen has always been an independent, self sufficient and proactive woman. There is nothing fancy about her lifestyle. She requires very little and truly lives a simple life . Her idea of a great day is cooking for friends and family, hanging out in her yard with her dogs and gardening. Please consider helping Karen save her home and find some peace of mind. I don't know anyone who deserves to receive help more than Karen. This would mean more to her than words can say.

Karen has little time left before the house goes into foreclosure. Please help me make this Christmas extra special by gifting Karen's heart and mind with peace, contentment and love.

Thank You for your compassion and consideration!!