Please help us send our loved one home properly.

On behalf of Ms. Jessie Hinton:

As the city of Buffalo sent notice to prepare for a winter storm, I gathered items and prepared to hunker down until it cleared. We soon understood that no candle or canned good would prepare us for what would occur. In the morning my adult son, Alvin Baines has a medical event. I tried to keep calm and called emergency services. I realized that our street was nearly impassable and that it would be difficult for paramedics to assist us. With the help of the 911 operator, I was able to administer CPR, all the while praying that help would come in time. Paramedics navigated mounds of snow and terrible conditions but could not arrive until the following morning. Despite my prayers and efforts, I lost my beloved son that morning. Unlike the storm, I did not see this coming.

I am left to wonder if things would have turned out differently had the paramedics arrived sooner, or if mother nature had not wreaked havoc on the city, would my son still be here? I hope that my son knew that I did my best. I tried to save you, Son!

I am left to do something that no mother should have to endure. I'm left to find a way to provide a final act of love in providing my son with an appropriate send-off.

I know we are all suffering and have endured a lot these past few days, but I am calling on the community. I am calling on the community that I love and have served for many years. I am asking for your prayers for myself and my family and for you to assist me with the cost of funeral arrangements. Please contribute as you see fit.

Any donation, no matter how small, will be greatly appreciated. My son was a wonderful son, brother, uncle, and friend. This is a tremendous loss for us. God be with us all as we mend, God bless the city of Buffalo, New York, and may God bless you for your kindness and contribution.