Help Big Jack Get Her Water Back!

A good woman got dealt a bad hand—and now she needs our help.

We are raising funds to help our mother, Jacqueline Frasier - affectionately known to many as "Big Jackie." She is a lifelong New Yorker, widow, and all around wonderful woman who has lived a full life, faced more than her fair share of heartbreak, and somehow always found the strength to keep going. But today, she finds herself in an impossible fight with New York City to get her water service repaired and turned back on—and she can’t do it alone.

What Happened

Just days after the NYC Department of Transportation (DOT) finished milling and repaving her Staten Island street on August 18, Jackie’s water service line began leaking through the pavement. This pipe, which connects her home to the city’s water supply, is essential for drinking, bathing, cooking—simply living.

When the NYC Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) came to investigate, the emergency crews told us that the weight and vibrations from the Department of Transportation’s (DOT) heavy street-grating and paving machinery likely caused the break - and that it is a common occurrence. Yet instead of taking responsibility, DOT and NYC refuse to help. Unfortunately, DEP was forced to shut off her water on September 4 to prevent further damage to the street. Now, Jackie has just 10 days to hire a contractor/plumber and pay for the repairs—a costly fix estimated at more than $10,000!

For Jackie, that’s money she simply doesn’t have. After a lifetime of giving everything she has to her family, friends, neighbors, and community, she now finds herself on the brink of financial ruin—on top of being without the basic dignity of running water in her home.

While we continue to fight for the city to take responsibility, Jackie cannot wait weeks or months without running water—she needs help today!

Why This Matters

For those who don’t know our mom, she’s not one to break easily. Jackie is also not one to complain. But she needs help now more than ever—and she’s far too proud to ask herself.

As a young girl growing up in Red Hook, she lost everything in a house fire—photos, toys, clothing, and her beloved dog, Spot. During Hurricane Sandy in 2012, her previous home was inundated with water, destroying cherished memories, precious family heirlooms, and beloved handed-down holiday decorations. (Even then, the city failed her: the broken “Build It Back” program gave her nothing but a fresh coat of paint on the doors—not a single dollar to fix the moldy basement, ruined appliances, leaky roof, or destroyed fencing.)

Still, she never asked for help. She just kept moving forward. Eventually, she and our father—both struggling with health and mobility issues—were forced to sell their longtime family home and move into a single-story house where getting around was easier. But even there, tragedy found them.

During the pandemic, she lost her soulmate and husband Eddie—a decorated, retired captain who proudly served the NYC Department of Corrections for 23 years—in the cruelest way. He suffered a debilitating stroke at the Thanksgiving dinner table in front of the entire family. EMTs initially misdiagnosed him as having a diabetic episode, but he was rushed to the hospital the next day. While there, he contracted COVID and never came home. Heartbroken, Jackie and her children and 7 grandchildren never had the chance to say a proper goodbye. He died on January 2, 2021.

Most recently, Jackie has been in and out of the hospital herself, battling pneumonia, heart issues, and more—yet she continues to show a courage that humbles everyone who knows her. She is currently hospitalized again and undergoing tests and procedures, but she has no home to return to without running water. (In fact, the day DEP came to investigate the leak in front of her house, she was nearly intubated—her body was suddenly and inexplicably unable to process oxygen, with carbon dioxide levels in her lungs rising to a deadly 70%. Yet still, she defied the odds and pulled through.)

What Your Donation Supports

Through it all, Jackie has always been the one who opened her doors, fed others, lent money, and offered a hand to anyone in need. She has been a rock for her family, friends, and community. Now, she’s the one who needs help.

And beyond the cost of complex repairs, she now faces the possibility of additional expenses for temporary housing—whether in an assisted living facility or a hotel—until the water line is fixed.

Please, if you’re able, help us raise the funds to repair her water line and restore the service she so desperately needs. Any amount—no matter how small—will make a big difference.

From the bottom of our heart, thank you for reading, sharing, donating, and helping our mother in her time of need. Please share far and wide and ...

Let’s all help Big Jack get her water back!

With love and gratitude from her family,

John, Jaci, Jill