Let's Help Frances O'Neal Support David

My name is Shelley Lema and I, along with many other friends from Atwater High School Class of 77, want to help a very special friend and his mom. As many of you know, David O'Neal has an illness that causes him to be bed-bound. Our get-togethers over the years have gone from social outings to visits in his home. He will not recover from this illness and it's getting harder to understand his speech, but he has always been very positive and remains so today. During my visits with him, I have noticed that David's sweet mom, Frances, is a pillar of strength for her whole family. This is a family that has been hit with several serious illnesses and deaths among David's siblings. Frances O'Neal worked as an RN until she was 90 and today is 94 years old. She has suffered many losses, including the loss of her beloved husband. Yet, like David, focuses only on the positive in life. With every interaction, my admiration has grown. This woman is a powerhouse fashionista (she is very strong in so many ways and very, very cute!). She gets things done! But at what cost? Have you noticed your PG&E bills going up? Food prices? Water bill? We'd like to help her to not worry about bill increases as we feel she has enough on her plate. We'd like her to use the money wherever she sees fit and we'd like the community to surround her with love and support. The very first thing she'd like to do with the money raised is buy David an electric toothbrush. Let's help her with that and let her decide how to use the rest of the money. This is a blessing to this beautiful 94-year-old woman who asks for nothing but deserves the world. Thank you to Bobby and Patti Sheets for the idea of doing this fundraiser, Lori Everhart-Westbrooks for calling Frances to get her permission, to Teresa Apodaca for joining me in my visits to see David and his mom, and to all of our classmates who have reached out to David by sending cards and well-wishes over the past year. Because of your actions, he knows for sure that he is not going through this alone.