Help Andre Rebuild and Return to his Home

Hi, my name is Yvonne, and I am fundraising for my 83-year-old dad, Andre Bilodeau. My sister Aline, my dad's best friend Bob, and I have joined our efforts. Together we hope to restore Dad's home and repair his beloved catamaran, Dégagé.

Most of you are aware of the recent tragedy brought on by Hurricane Ian, which affected a large portion of Florida and later the Carolinas. In particular, the Ft Myers area in Lee County suffered a horrific direct hit with a near-CAT5 level of destruction. Ian struck with enormous fury at Cayo Costa, and as a result Pine Island was in the worst possible position, along with Captiva, Sanibel and Ft Myers Beach.

My dad, Andre, is a retired boat builder and designer and has lived in St James City for about 35 years. He is a master of his trade and is exceptionally skilled at building and repairing boats and even houses. At 83, and after dozens of surgeries to repair the wear and tear on his own body, he continues to exert focused efforts on maintaining his skills. He hates to say "no" when folks come to him for help with either fixing their vessels or making repairs at home or simply understanding how to arrive at a solution to almost anything. We call him Superman. But he's been slowing down. This year Andre had five surgeries over the course of seven months as a team of doctors attempted to save his left leg, which was overtaken by a bone infection festering for years unnoticed. He persevered through the surgeries and slow, painful recoveries, and his leg was saved. His ability to continue doing what he loves was also saved. He loves his boat, which he built himself, and he loves his tinkering and problem-solving. He's a salty dude, with fixed opinions, sometimes a bit abrasive, but always true to his principles of excellence in one's work and honesty in one's dealings. He is a proud man. He would never ask for help. So Aline, Bob and I are asking on his behalf.

Why does he deserve your help? Aside from what I have just shared, let me also say Andre is not a victim-minded person. He believes passionately in solving his own problems his own way. He is also adamant that preparation is the foundation of problem avoidance. He has weathered a few hurricanes, notably Hurricane Charley, with only moderate damage due to his obsessive approach to preparedness. However, Hurricane Ian puts Hurricane Charley in a shadow. While Hurricane Ian was tracking to hit Tampa Bay or slightly north, Dad was still preparing. His beloved boat was triple secured and his car was elevated. He had anchored his house years ago all around with steel bars deep into the ground. His metal roof was reinforced triple the standard when installed a few years ago. He took the situation very seriously and did all the right things. Again, at the time of his preparations, Ian was not forecasted for a direct hit to SW Florida. Most island residents weren't expecting a direct hit, and when Ian turned sharply, for many it was too late. The onslaught of Hurricane Ian was shocking and unexpected.

Andre's personal experience during the hurricane was surreal, as it was for many others. As the storm peaked, he found himself chest deep in water with horrible pain in his leg and CAT4 hurricane winds thundering outside, his car partially submerged in salt water, his boat impaled at the dock, his house being destroyed before his eyes and his phone ruined so he could not even communicate. He was alone, helpless and losing everything.

So now Andre must rebuild. With your help, along with our help and help from FEMA and other agencies, we will carefully plan the repairs to his home. We hope the foundation and outer walls are intact, in which case we will gut the insides down to the studs and rebuild room by room. Andre is a simple man with simple needs, nothing fancy, everything practical. But in our current environment, even the simplest construction project is freakishly expensive.

This is Dad's story. We hope you can "see" him for the worthy and proud man he is. We appreciate on Andre's behalf even the smallest increment of help. Our approach will be sensible and frugal. All funds will go entirely into Andre's rebuild (net of the GoFundMe fees). If there are any remaining funds, we will use them for supplies, food and clothing and whatever’s left will be donated to other Hurricane Ian survivors in St James City.

Sincere thanks from Andre's family.