A mountain she couldn't climb
Donation protected
This is an urgent request to help JoEllen DeLuca save her house and if we can't save the house then our goal is to raise enough money to help insure that she has a roof over her head in a safe area of Spartanburg, SC. She goes to bankruptcy court on Monday to find out how many DAYS she can stay in her home. As a close friend I (Pam Moffitt) am attempting to raise money for JoEllen. What follows is her story.
Jo suffers from Crohns, Rheumatoid Arthritis and has had Rectal cancer which left her with what they call "short gut". Her ostomy connects under the skin level and the ostomy bags don't stick and with constant diarrhea she often can't leave her home because the bags fail. She also suffers from Stage IV Kidney Disease.
Ben (her husband) previously had Stage III Colon Cancer and Prostate Cancer simultaneously. Ten years later he underwent hernia surgery and died. And that started the rapid downward spiral of JoEllen's life. The mortgage on their home was $150,000. The monthly payment is $1200. The $75,000 life insurance policy she thought Ben had was in fact a $10,000 policy. As with all widows JoEllen receives a portion of his Social Security which is added to her monthly amount. Then she receives a small pension from the years she taught school. Total income per month: $1600. Ben (a WWII veteran wounded on Iwo Jima) also had received monthly amounts from a pension plan. The plan read that the payments would go to his wife. But Jo Ellen found out that she would not receive the pension. So where is this leading?
Jo made payments until the $10000 was gone then her church helped for a few months. Eventually she had to stop making payments because after the mortgage payment she had only $400 a month to pay all her expenses. She sticks to a $33 a week budget to feed herself and her beloved English Bulldog, Lexie, and her cat Dubie.
This couple devoted a vast amount of their lives working to help others. Ben was editor of the Weekly Reader. Remember reading that in school as a kid? He was the first CEO for Habitat for Humanity in Spartanburg, SC were 66 houses were built while he held office. Then there is Jo Ellen, she formed the largest support group for Crohns & ColoRectal cancer in the country with over 275 members. Presently membership has declined as Jo became sick two years ago then underwent major surgery to relocate her ostomy and remove a large hernia. She lost over 40 lbs weighing in at 101 before she started to regain her health. They also determined during that time that she has Stage IV kidney disease.
She recently was awarded the Volunteer of the Year having amassed over 14000 volunteer hours. She serves on several national cancer organizations and continues to volunteer her time to help other cancer survivors and those less fortunate. For all these years JoEllen has wrapped her arms around us and given us moral support and served tirelessly as a volunteer, it is now time for us to help her in her time of need. She will lose her home (she has already sold off many of the things she and Ben collected and furniture that was part of their daily lives) but she has no where to go unless we can raise enough funds to insure she will have a roof over her head. Please, what ever you can donate will help.
Thank you!
Jo suffers from Crohns, Rheumatoid Arthritis and has had Rectal cancer which left her with what they call "short gut". Her ostomy connects under the skin level and the ostomy bags don't stick and with constant diarrhea she often can't leave her home because the bags fail. She also suffers from Stage IV Kidney Disease.
Ben (her husband) previously had Stage III Colon Cancer and Prostate Cancer simultaneously. Ten years later he underwent hernia surgery and died. And that started the rapid downward spiral of JoEllen's life. The mortgage on their home was $150,000. The monthly payment is $1200. The $75,000 life insurance policy she thought Ben had was in fact a $10,000 policy. As with all widows JoEllen receives a portion of his Social Security which is added to her monthly amount. Then she receives a small pension from the years she taught school. Total income per month: $1600. Ben (a WWII veteran wounded on Iwo Jima) also had received monthly amounts from a pension plan. The plan read that the payments would go to his wife. But Jo Ellen found out that she would not receive the pension. So where is this leading?
Jo made payments until the $10000 was gone then her church helped for a few months. Eventually she had to stop making payments because after the mortgage payment she had only $400 a month to pay all her expenses. She sticks to a $33 a week budget to feed herself and her beloved English Bulldog, Lexie, and her cat Dubie.
This couple devoted a vast amount of their lives working to help others. Ben was editor of the Weekly Reader. Remember reading that in school as a kid? He was the first CEO for Habitat for Humanity in Spartanburg, SC were 66 houses were built while he held office. Then there is Jo Ellen, she formed the largest support group for Crohns & ColoRectal cancer in the country with over 275 members. Presently membership has declined as Jo became sick two years ago then underwent major surgery to relocate her ostomy and remove a large hernia. She lost over 40 lbs weighing in at 101 before she started to regain her health. They also determined during that time that she has Stage IV kidney disease.
She recently was awarded the Volunteer of the Year having amassed over 14000 volunteer hours. She serves on several national cancer organizations and continues to volunteer her time to help other cancer survivors and those less fortunate. For all these years JoEllen has wrapped her arms around us and given us moral support and served tirelessly as a volunteer, it is now time for us to help her in her time of need. She will lose her home (she has already sold off many of the things she and Ben collected and furniture that was part of their daily lives) but she has no where to go unless we can raise enough funds to insure she will have a roof over her head. Please, what ever you can donate will help.
Thank you!
Organizer and beneficiary
Pam R Moffitt
Organizer
Galva, IA
Jo-Ellen DeLuca
Beneficiary