Nancy and King Need a Home Again

I am reaching out on behalf of my cousin Nancy. Have you ever heard the phrase “when it rains, it pours”? That seems to be how things have been going for Nancy lately. She is the woman who would give the shirt off her back if needed.

Nine years ago, Nancy and her long-time partner Jimmy decided to relocate to Florida from Long Island, NY. Life was going to be more affordable, and they would not have to work as hard. They started a small power washing business and did neighborhood patrol. They were helpful in their new community and even organized annual holiday golf cart parades. Unfortunately, that didn't last because they were both constantly fighting random illnesses. When COVID came, Nancy, Jimmy, and their dog King were stuck in the house. Jimmy was diagnosed with cancer, and so was Nancy. Jimmy went through treatment but took a turn for the worse. Sadly, Jimmy passed. Nancy took such wonderful care of Jimmy during his fight, but it took its toll on Nancy because she put her own health issues aside. Last May, after delaying her hysterectomy, Nancy finally went in for surgery. Thankfully, she is now cancer-free, but Nancy suffers from many illnesses due to mold toxicity. The only way she can begin to recover is to remove all this mold from her home. It was a visit to the doctors that prompted her to have the house inspected by a mold remediation company. The entire house was infested with mold. They found mold under the tiles, in the walls, in the ceiling, basically hiding in every nook and granny of the house. The air was filled with mold spores. The air conditioning unit has to be totally rebuilt, sheet rock is being pulled off the walls and ceilings, furniture and clothing had to be thrown away. The entire house is now being gutted due to mold toxicity. Nancy stays at a friends home in the evening to sleep and shower, she is very grateful for this, she leaves first thing in the morning, lives out of her car with her dog King until night time. Unfortunately due to financial hardship from not being able to work, losing Jimmy, illnesses, and needing a new knee, Nancy cannot afford all of the work needing to be done and work being currently being done to her home. The contractor is expecting payment to keep working and complete the job, but the more they rip it apart, the more mold they find and the more money she needs to come up with. Unfortunately, homeowners insurance doesn’t cover a claim like this, and local and government agencies that she has reached out to have claimed depleted funds and are no longer offering financial help.

Nancy is 69 years old and would love to return to her home with her sweet old dog King. They have been displaced for five weeks now. She said the days are getting hot and more difficult to live out of her car during the daytime. She loves Fort Pierce and her community. Knowing people have many hardships in life that are far worse it was hard for Nancy to ask me to reach out like this. She has always worked so hard for what she has in her life, on her own until this point. I am hoping people can find it in their hearts to pay it forward to help my cousin Nancy, who will always be the first one to pay it forward for others.