My name is John Alexander. I live in Gardiner, NY, and I've started this GoFundMe campaign to help a wonderful friend in The Bahamas who has dealt with a number of devastating events in the past several years and, through no fault of her own, needs financial help ASAP.

I've known Maria Bethel Fiore since we were kids (over 50 years). Maria has always been a kind, thoughtful, and hard-working person. She is a native of Abaco, The Bahamas. On September 1, 2019, Hurricane Dorian, the most intense on record to strike the Bahamas, reached Category 5 intensity, with maximum sustained winds of 185 mph and up to a 23-foot storm surge. Dorian made first landfall on the small island of Elbow Cay, Bahamas--Maria's home. The hurricane killed 74 people in The Bahamas (confirmed, but the number is likely much higher) and left tens of thousands homeless.

On the heels of Dorian, Maria suffered in a house with the roof partially gone and no power for the air conditioning in a tropical summer. Her work in rental real estate was ended by virtue of the destruction of the houses that she cared for. Maria developed PTSD from her experience in the storm and in the devastation afterward, leading to her hospitalization. She then developed a debilitating hypothyroid condition, which has made her largely bed ridden, and for which she must see a physician and take regular medications.

I have started this GoFundMe campaign so that Maria can afford rent, utilities, food, and medication for the time being, until she can regain her health and strength, and return to work. I hope you'll help us reach this goal.