Help My Dear Friend Begin Life @29

Hello my name is Evan Hicks.

I am creating this campaign to tell you all about two of the most amazing people who touched my life.

when I was a baby, my mom chose an angel to watch over my older brother and I. She was famous for being the apartment complex daycare lady, as almost every child wanted to be watched by my dear friend Rhonda.

Rhonda had a daughter only a couple years older than me, Aundrea. Over the span of my life I can easily say these two became as close as “family” can become.

There was never a day in my life that I remember Rhonda not being sick. She suffered from Diabetes, Thyroid issues, lung problems, heart problems, bad knees, bad ankles, and a growing list of medical issues everyday. 

Because of Rhonda’s illnesses, she was unable to work, and carried a lot of extra weight on her body that thru the years continually got worse, leaving her 100% bed ridden and relying on Aundi for her care for the past 15 years.

Despite her health issues, she had family after family entrust her with their children for day care, because the light and love that emitted from this woman was one that words can not describe. 

As we all got older our need for daycare vanished, but our want to be near and around Rhonda never left.

As rhondas health continued to decline through the years she eventually had to stop taking on new kids, and lived solely off of disability and government assistance.

They were very poor. Never having anyway to save, to get ahead, living month to month stressing about where the electricity, food, and Rhondas many needed medications would come from.

You would think with the illness and the debt, it would be hard to wake up everyday, and that depression would be the normal for this family duo... Well it wasn't...  It was actually the opposite..  the laughter was always at an all-time high, goofing off, making memories, watching movies, having pretzel wars, anything to pass the time with a smile, that is how they lived.

To this day I've never seen someone live everyday in pain... And I swear in 27 years, I NEVER ONCE heard her complain about it, or to try and make people feel sorry for her... Its just not who she was... 

By the time Aundi turned 18, while me and the other kids from that group were getting ready to set out on our own lives, Rhondas health had gotten to a point where there was no way to leave her ma ma, nor did she want too.

There was no family to help her. Her father had abandoned them before Aundi was born, and Rhonda had already lost both her parents and was estranged from her siblings in her teen years.

When I say they only had each other, I mean it. Of course myself, the other day care kids, and their families were around to talk, and help when we could, but Rhondas life was solely on Aundis shoulder..

Another woman who I NEVER ONCE heard complain about her situation, and told me countless times what an honor it was too take care of her mommy...

Over the past few months, Rhonda became the worst she had ever been, sleeping most days all day, beginning loosing her sight, having a genuinely dead foot, but unable to amputate or perform any needed surgery knowing she would not survive it, she became shakey and the bed she was confined too she could not sit up in anymore leaving her lieing on her back, it was very sad and very hard to watch, even for me on my random visits.. I can only imagine how Aundi felt.

I received a call last monday night, from a very scared Aundi, telling me that Rhonda had not been waking up for more than. 5 minutes at a time, she was dazed and confused, her breathing and speaking were off and she was unable to take any of her many medications due too throat swelling and sores forming in her mouth.

My mother and I drove up early Tuesday morning, we spent the day with Aundi as hospice confirmed our fears that we were looking at hours to days left.

We decided to stay the night with Aundi so she wouldnt be alone.

At 5:47am on Wednesday March 14 2018... I lost my friend, Aundi lost her mother, and heaven gained an angel.... Praise lord, a pain free angel.

That morning while at the funeral home making cremation arrangements, Medicade in order to help with funds required Aundi send in a bank statement.. the amount in her name... $6.00

And on top of everything else, the home Aundi took care of her mother in was paid for with housing assistance, that ended immediately after Rhondas death, forcing Aundi to move and vacate by April 1st.

No family, no money, and starting a life in the real world for the first time at age 29

I don't think much more needs to be said as to why I'm creating this go fund me...

Please.. anything, and I mean anything helps, even just one dollar... 

I know god is good and I know she will rise eventually and experience a beautiful life guided by her angel mother... But if there is anything we can do to help get her started I will forever be great full. 

She gave up her entire life up till now to be her mom's caretaker, and now she is forced from everything she has ever known and has nothing to start with..

Please think about giving... And please share her story, who knows where it could reach! 

I made a promise to her mom on the day she passed that I would do anything I could to help her and that she would never not have me...  This is my start in keeping that promise.

Thank You