Judy Azar, a beloved 83-year-old crossing guard at Lakeview Elementary School in Sarasota, Florida, has spent her entire life giving to others. A devoted mother and crossing guard to her school community, and a lifelong cat rescuer who has opened her heart and home to countless animals in need.

Judy was struck by a cyclist and severely injured on September 4th, 2025, while helping children safely cross the street. The accident left her with a shattered shoulder (humerus) and broken wrist. The injuries required a full reverse shoulder replacement and multiple plates and pins in her arm.

We all know the dangers of this kind of injury to someone of Judy’s age, but her naturally positive outlook on life and her innate trust in the medical community meant that she entered this process believing she could come out the other side as good as new. She trusted that after her successful surgery, she would recover and return home, but the reality has been devastating.

Because Judy was injured on the job, she turned to Workers’ Compensation for her care. Sadly, this system has completely failed her. Workers’ Compensation has shown a blatant disregard for her surgeon’s post-operative orders, denying her a proper physical therapy facility and refusing to approve the medical care she needed to recover. Instead, she was sent to a post-acute care facility, where she’s suffered from malnutrition, neglect (hygiene & medical), and emotional trauma. Her vitals and labs rapidly declined, and the physical pain and emotional toll have been immeasurable. She was stuck in a dark, dreary room with no access to the outside world.

Before this tragic accident, Judy was strong, independent, and full of life. She loved her job as a crossing guard, which supplemented her small Social Security income and enabled her to afford to live, though very humbly. She adored the children she helped cross the street safely every day, greeting them with warmth and encouragement. Knowing that she will never be able to return to that crosswalk because of her injuries has devastated her. She also dearly misses her beloved cats — the animals she has loved, fostered, and cared for like family. They have been her daily joy and her reason to get up in the morning. The separation has left her heartbroken. Losing her purpose, her independence, and her connection to the children and animals she loves has been overwhelming.

The blatant lack of appropriate treatment and care has left Judy, a woman who showed up for work on September 4th, 2025, a vibrant, active, and healthy 83-year-old community elder, feeling discarded and forgotten by the powers that be because of her age, as though her life no longer matters. The gaslighting and emotional manipulation were almost enough to make her give up.

Though Judy has always been the kind of person who puts herself last, constantly sacrificing her own comfort and needs to care for those she loves, it’s Judy who now needs her community’s support.

Judy needs help with nearly everything — getting dressed, bathing, cooking, cleaning, and caring for her pets. Due to inadequate care, her muscles have atrophied, which left her unable to walk on her own. She has minimal use of her right arm, and though she is getting stronger, she still needs care.

Her home must be modified for safety, with ramps, grab bars, and accessibility updates that allow her to regain some independence. Workers’ Comp has yet to provide these ADA-required modifications even after they were ordered by a third-party agency and her surgeon. Judy’s insurance will not cover the costs because Workers’ Comp is handling the case.

Judy was unexpectedly, and with no notice, discharged to her home against the order from her surgeon who requested inpatient physical therapy, on November 13th, 2025, with no safety modifications having been made. Now, the family must pay for the modifications out of pocket as Workers’ Comp is still refusing to comply. No matter her doctor’s orders regarding her need for adequate physical therapy, these costs have also been denied over and over by Workers’ Comp and are now on the shoulders of her family.

Her only child, her daughter Nicolle, has been by her side every day, traveling back and forth from Tampa to Sarasota — cooking for her, feeding her, doing home repairs, advocating for proper medical care and hygiene, managing her medications, and fighting the system that has failed to fulfill its purpose.

Transitioning to a full-time caregiver for her mother has left Nicolle unable to work, and this small but loving family is now struggling to keep up with two mortgages, travel expenses, medical supplies, cat care, and the additional expenses of supporting two households. Navigating an endless loop of bureaucracy has left them trapped in a nightmare with no end in sight.

We humbly ask for your support to help Judy get the care she needs and deserves, the modifications her home requires to allow her at least a modicum of self-sufficiency, and financial breathing room to get back on her feet.

Your donations will help cover:

Judy has always lived a life of service — protecting children, rescuing animals, and putting those she loves and her community before herself. Now, after being failed by the very systems meant to protect her, she deserves to be treated with dignity, compassion, and respect.

Please help her beloved daughter, Nicolle, fight for Judy’s healing, comfort, and the chance to come home to the life and love she has worked so hard to build. Judy is more than just a mother; she is Nicolle’s best friend and, as all who know and love her describe her, one of the most selfless people they know.

❤️ Let’s show Judy the same love and care she’s given to so many, and help bring her home safely, surrounded by her cats, her comfort, and her dignity.