Meet My Friend Jackie

This is my dear friend Jackie. She’s 90 years old—vibrant, stylish, funny, and still working. To know her is to love her. Fiercely independent and private, she’s always managed on her own, never asking for help.

A few weeks ago, Jackie was involved in a minor car accident. After walking home, she collapsed on her doorstep, hitting her head. We don’t know how long she lay there, but thankfully, her wonderful neighbors found her and called an ambulance. She was diagnosed with a severe concussion and had no memory of what had happened or how she ended up in the hospital. She spent two weeks there, followed by time in rehab.

While she was in the hospital recovering, I was asked to collect some of her belongings from her home. Jackie, who values her privacy deeply, was adamant that I was not to enter her house. She didn’t want anyone in her home and was visibly upset, but eventually, she allowed me inside. What I found broke my heart.

It was clear Jackie had been struggling for a long time. She had no air conditioning; it stopped working last November, only a fan for the summer heat and blankets through the winter. Her washing machine has been broken since February, and the dishwasher and refrigerator are barely functioning. Both her kitchen and bathroom sinks were completely blocked and had been for months, and she was physically unable to clean her bathtub.

With the help of two amazing friends, we cleaned and cleared the first floor of her home and set up a safe, comfortable living space. I also hired professionals to unblock the sinks and assess her appliances and AC. Unfortunately, all of them need to be replaced.

When I asked Jackie how things had gotten so difficult, she quietly explained: “I was the sole caregiver for my mother. She was my best friend and my whole world.” Jackie cared for her mother, who lived to 98-Jackie was 70 at the time. After her mother passed, Jackie fell into a deep depression, which she never spoke about. She lives on fixed Social Security income, which often doesn't cover her basic living expenses. She never asked for help—"That’s just not who I am,” she said. It’s a generational mindset, one many of us recognize in our elders. When things began to break down, she didn’t have the money to pay anyone to fix them, so she remained silent. Jackie has no immediate family and no children—she’s out there on her own, like so many seniors today.

I'm hoping to raise funds to replace her essential appliances and improve her quality of life. I also aim to build a ramp to her front door, making her home safer and more accessible. Additionally, I hope to continue addressing the remaining safety and hygiene issues in her home. Every little bit helps, and any amount would be deeply appreciated.

I just want to show her that we care, she is loved, and not forgotten.

From the bottom of my heart, thank you.

Bill W.