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Help rebuild after hurricane Ian Dawn Stephenson

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Hello, my name is Dawn. I live in south west Florida for 35 years today. I am from Micanopy , Florida and moved south to raise my four daughters. I was forced to retire the past ten years due to heart disease and now cancer. I am currently in radiation therapy after losing my right lung last year to a lobectomy. I have had nothing but one bad luck after another after reaching my mid sixties. I ask for little and have been hoping to cure these horrible diseases so as to rest and enjoy the rest of my life. I am a artist today and enjoy playing music and gardening and varied volunteer activities. I raised a wonderful group of girls and have 6 grandchildren. All was going well with the cancer treatments and my home. It took me thirty years to pay off my home as I am sure many know this struggle. I bought my home as a young girl in my twenties and stayed the course of mortgages, twenty+ years to educate the daughters and see each off into their adult lives . I have very little time left to relax and rest, and my home was this sanctuary. I put all I had into the home . I was unable in my current health to maintain home owners insurance. The rates in Florida following Irma and other hurricanes we have lived through started out pricing the affordability of flood insurance. Home owners does not cover floods ,by being called a act of god. So yesterday the hurricane Ian hit me and it hit me hard. I watched as the waters rose higher and higher. I was in shock that this was happening and so fast. We in South Florida had no time to evacuate. The predictions were that the Tampa area was to be hit. We were aware that the roads were full and no shelters available for us. So we stayed home. Then the trajectory changed and we were stuck to ride out the storm. It flooded my home, every room filled with water. It flooded my car, a older model long paid off that I thought would take me to my end of life. It will no longer drive. I am in my social security and it isn't much. My heart attacks and stents, my cancer and treatments have taken all my reserves. I paid for all I own ,home ,car, a megar budget . I needed these basics to live out my life. I appreciated what I have and I have taken good care. Now I am devastated. I have lost a safe home and need to replace walls and floors to avoid destruction and more health issues. I need to find a low end car to get to my doctor's and grocery and what knots. I believe if we ask , sometimes we are heard and helped. I am no different than many that ask for help, and it is truly humbling to do so. I have tried go fund me once before for a small roof repair I had, I was more than touched that many reached back with small amounts that added up to the needed funds. I now do this again but for something so huge that it boggles the mind. I ask for help to keep a old lady in her home. To share in the journey of life with me as I struggle to maintain dignity of a life well lived. Pennies from heaven are what they are called, will you send a few to help me. I can do little bit say thank you so much if you feel moved to help. I would love to know somewhere in the future my pennies could flow your way. Perhaps they will, we all need a little help from our friends some days. Thank you and bless you.

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    Organizer

    Dawn Stephenson
    Organizer
    Naples, FL

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