Help Heat Their Home!
Donation protected
Winter in Northern Minnesota is Brutal Without a Furnace
My friend Connie and her husband Bruce live in Deerwood, Minnesota, in the old farmhouse on his parents' farm, which has a wood-fueled boiler as its sole heat source. They have worked hard throughout their lives, and raised two daughters who are now adults. Bruce has been active in their community, as a former VP of the Cuyuna Lakes Mountain Bike Club, the Trail Maintenance and Pump Track Coordinator.
Bruce was a 27-year senior employee at a local factory, but was recently laid off. Connie worked for a local church until she physically could no longer do so, and now receives disability benefits. Her small disability payment is their sole source of income.
Bruce has been working very hard to keep enough wood to maintain the warmth of their home through this very cold winter. He goes out to the wooded areas of their property and cuts wood, then brings it back to the house to keep the stove burning 24 hours a day.
Just a few days ago, Bruce suffered a catastrophic injury in a tree cutting accident, resulting in multiple fractures of his leg, as well as nerve, ligament, artery damage. He crawled two hours to get back to the house (dragging his chain saw all the way.) They even feared he might lose his leg.
Thankfully, it wasn’t worse.
He has had one surgery at Hennepin County Medical Center and is scheduled for another. There will be a very long recovery ahead with more surgeries. He will need to wear the surgically attached brace for a year and possibly permanently. He was just transferred to a rehabilitation facility.
While Bruce is hospitalized and recovering, friends and family have worked to keep the wood stove burning, to prevent the home and pets from freezing. They will not be able to continue to do this through the entire time that he is recovering, however.
Connie must travel the 120 miles between their home and the hospital, and stays with friends when possible. Their only source of income is her small disability check.
They need a furnace installed in their home. The estimate for this is approximately $3000.00. This is for an LP furnace. She will also need to have an LP tank placed near the home, and filled with LP gas to get through this winter.
The family has no medical insurance right now, and medical costs are not known. There may be some coverage or benefits available to them, but that is still up in the air. It is possible that they may have some major medical expenses as a result.
Please help Connie and Bruce get through this winter by donating toward a furnace for their home. This will relieve so much stress and worry for both of them, and will allow Connie to focus on helping Bruce with his recovery.
Thank you for any help you may be able to provide.
My friend Connie and her husband Bruce live in Deerwood, Minnesota, in the old farmhouse on his parents' farm, which has a wood-fueled boiler as its sole heat source. They have worked hard throughout their lives, and raised two daughters who are now adults. Bruce has been active in their community, as a former VP of the Cuyuna Lakes Mountain Bike Club, the Trail Maintenance and Pump Track Coordinator.
Bruce was a 27-year senior employee at a local factory, but was recently laid off. Connie worked for a local church until she physically could no longer do so, and now receives disability benefits. Her small disability payment is their sole source of income.
Bruce has been working very hard to keep enough wood to maintain the warmth of their home through this very cold winter. He goes out to the wooded areas of their property and cuts wood, then brings it back to the house to keep the stove burning 24 hours a day.
Just a few days ago, Bruce suffered a catastrophic injury in a tree cutting accident, resulting in multiple fractures of his leg, as well as nerve, ligament, artery damage. He crawled two hours to get back to the house (dragging his chain saw all the way.) They even feared he might lose his leg.
Thankfully, it wasn’t worse.
He has had one surgery at Hennepin County Medical Center and is scheduled for another. There will be a very long recovery ahead with more surgeries. He will need to wear the surgically attached brace for a year and possibly permanently. He was just transferred to a rehabilitation facility.
While Bruce is hospitalized and recovering, friends and family have worked to keep the wood stove burning, to prevent the home and pets from freezing. They will not be able to continue to do this through the entire time that he is recovering, however.
Connie must travel the 120 miles between their home and the hospital, and stays with friends when possible. Their only source of income is her small disability check.
They need a furnace installed in their home. The estimate for this is approximately $3000.00. This is for an LP furnace. She will also need to have an LP tank placed near the home, and filled with LP gas to get through this winter.
The family has no medical insurance right now, and medical costs are not known. There may be some coverage or benefits available to them, but that is still up in the air. It is possible that they may have some major medical expenses as a result.
Please help Connie and Bruce get through this winter by donating toward a furnace for their home. This will relieve so much stress and worry for both of them, and will allow Connie to focus on helping Bruce with his recovery.
Thank you for any help you may be able to provide.
Organizer and beneficiary
Carol Hoadley Lostetter
Organizer
Bay Lake, MN
Connie Swanson
Beneficiary