Support for Masai's recovery and rehab

Hi, my name is Cathy Black and I am raising funds to help my son-in-law, Masai, my daughter, Storm and my grandson, little Masai. My son-in-law, Masai Hicks, broke the tendon in the back of his lower leg last Thursday. This required emergency surgery Friday morning. He had just recently started a new job 30 days prior. It's been a struggle for this little family since the pandemic. He's a carpenter by trade and was self-employed for a while. He had been looking for a good full-time job with benefits, and was finally blessed to find one. 30 days later, he's in the hospital recovering from emergencies surgery and will be unable to put any weight on that leg for 3 months. This means he had no insurance to cover medical bills, and because he had been on the job such a short time, he cannot draw workman's comp or anything of that nature. My daughter, Storm, is bearing the heavy load of trying to keep the household going and make sure the bills are being paid. My grandson also has needs that need to be met.

Storm has a small cleaning business( she cleans airbnbs ) and together they have a business renting bounce houses for various events. These bounce houses are extremely heavy and not meant for one person to install alone, but my daughter has been stepping up to the plate to try to get that done. She's exhausted. She's stressed and she doesn't know where to turn. Every day is a worry for her. Masai is in pain still from surgery, and that is expected to continue for a while. When the hospital bills start coming in that's going to quadruple her worry.

As a mother, it breaks my heart to watch this little family struggle so hard when they had just gotten their feet back on the ground. Everything was turning around for them and they were planning a very nice summer for the family. All that is gone, in the blink of an eye. She has a mortgage, electric, water, insurance, upkeep on cars... the list just goes on and on. We don't know yet what the hospital bills will be like but I'm sure they're going to be very large. That will be another added burden that she'll have to juggle along with everything else. I worry about all of them.

Because Masai had only been with this company for 30 days, the company did not feel like they would be able to hold his job for him. That puts them back at square one. even after he recovers. He's very talented and I'm sure it will not take him very long to find another job. But the stress of this likelihood is causing a lot of worry for the entire family.

I know there are others out there who have bigger problems, more worries, worse medical issues. But to this little family, there issues are not small. For them, in this moment, this is a very large hill they have to climb.

While I was lying in bed the other night worrying about them, it dawned on me that community and family are always there for us. We come together in times of need and help each other. That connection is strong and I believe most everyone feels that in their heart. Knowing you can depend on your friends, family and community members really helps in situations like this. I felt deep in my heart that their needs at this critical time in their young lives, could be met if we all come together to take care of one of our own.

I will post updates as they become available. I will let you know how the money is being used and how it is helping them. I'll add photos of Masai's journey back to health, especially the funny ones that make you smile.

No amount is too small and every dime is appreciated more than you know. You build a house one brick at a time. They have a good foundation but they need a little help putting one brick on top of the other for the moment. We can help do that for them. We can show them we care and support them and we will encourage them and be behind them through this process.

Thank you for taking the time to read and share this story. If you can find it in your heart too donate any amount, please know just how grateful we are to you. It's a long journey but taking one small step at a time with the support of your friends and family makes it much easier.

With a grateful heart and hope for this family, we will carry on. I know God has his hand over this little family.

Thank you from the bottom of my heart. Much love to everyone out there from a very grateful mother.

Cathy Black