Hi. My name is Cindy Grabau. I’m a recently widowed mother of three living in Edinburg, Maine. My husband John Grabau passed away from a heart attack a week before Thanksgiving. John retired from the Air Force after 34 years of service in January of 2018. He retired as a disabled veteran with Type 2 Diabetes. His military pension paid all the bills while the money I earned as a substitute teacher served as our savings for home repair and family travel.

Now that John has passed away I receive only half of his pension and I do not receive anything from the VA because he did not die as a direct result of his disability. With only half of John’s pension and the money I make as a substitute teacher, I simply cannot afford to pay all of our expenses – mortgage, utilities, etc – and I don’t know I can keep myself afloat in the immediate future. Which is why I’m asking for your help.

John was a kind and loving man who was always helping others, whether by fixing a neighbor’s car or assisting friends with electrical work. His death came as a shock to us all. The emotional burden itself is so much to bear, and now with the reduced pension the financial burden has become too much to bear. I’m working on a longer term financial solution – I’m applying for another job but so far I’ve had no luck in securing one – but right now I have bills that need to be paid and I don’t have any way of paying them at the moment. If you can help me out while I’m putting all of this together I would greatly appreciate it.

Thank you,
Cindy