
Give Kim’s Family A Chance at Stability
Donation protected
My name is Tori, and with my friend Kim's permission, I've started this GoFundMe for her and her family. I’ve known them since my son Parker and Kim’s son Mikey were 2 years old!
14 years ago, due to the act of a drunk driver, Kim lost her husband on the side of a road, one cold day in December 2010. She had six kids at the time and no life insurance. But she made it, she survived. A few years later, she met Mike and although she swore she'd never marry again, Mike won her heart. They married and less than a year later became parents to Michael (Mikey). Adopted at birth and cherished by not only his parents but the entire family, he was the missing piece of the family.
Now the bad news...
Kim and Mike have been married for 11 years and Mikey is now 10 years old. Almost 2 years ago, due to the bad economy, a change in employment, and a horrible slumlord, they lost their home. This left Kim, Mike, Mikey, and Kim's older son, 29-year-old Kody (a brain cancer survivor, whose tumor still sits in his brain stem), homeless. The only place to go was an extended stay hotel. Not ideal, not what they had wanted, but it was shelter.
Paying so much each week took up most of Mike's paycheck as a truck driver. In addition to other bills that never stop (car payments, phone, storage unit where all their belongings are, etc.) and providing necessities for his family, there was never enough left to actually save to get out. Things were starting to look up, until they weren't. Paychecks got lower and one day last month Mike was told he wasn't needed and to turn in his truck. Kody, an employee of Arby's, has worked hard to always help out and since then has happily given up his paycheck every two weeks. Sadly, it's enough to pay for the room for one week. On the off week, they have been doing whatever it takes to raise the $650 a week. Some weeks are more, depending on the rates.
2 weeks after losing his job, Mike got sick. What they thought was just a stomach bug or bad virus turned out much worse.
Kim brought him in the middle of the night, which turned out to be the right decision as the doctors told them had she not, he would have died that night. Mike was in kidney failure. He has had diabetes for 30 years and has taken metformin for well over 10 years. This is what the doctors believe caused his kidneys to fail. Stage 4. He was put on dialysis right away and put on the national transplant list. Kim still remained hopeful, researching and asking tons of questions.
Taking care of Mikey, getting him to and from school, soccer practice, trips to the hospital, making sure her family has everything they need and food to eat... even when it meant going without herself.
Just a couple of days ago they found out Mike is actually in stage 5, end-stage renal failure.
As you can imagine, this was devastating. She tries to stay strong while being there for Mikey, who knows his dad is very sick. I know it's hard for her to stay strong when she's watching her little boy fall apart.
This is why I've started this fundraiser.
They need a home, a real home, an apartment. They also need to keep paying for that room every Friday until they find somewhere more stable or they will be out with nowhere to go. With a home, Mike can do dialysis at home. They can be a family together again. They need necessities, things you and I take for granted. They are applying for disability but this is a process and takes time. Mike will be on Medicaid as of April 1st. Kody continues to work to help as best he can despite the health problems he has himself, including having a shunt, headaches, and a severe loss of vision.
Kim has looked for work for 2 years but is in desperate need of knee replacement surgery and cannot walk unassisted. This makes it hard to be hired. Remote work is a real possibility when they are in a home as the WiFi in the hotel doesn't work much at all.
Please consider helping this family. They are amazing people, kind, trustworthy, and hardworking.
Thank you for taking the time to read this. Thank you for your help and continuing prayers for this family. This was really hard for Kim to allow me to do, putting her vulnerabilities out there to the public. Please don't judge. Sometimes bad things happen to good people. Sometimes good people just need love and a helping hand.
Organizer and beneficiary
Tori Spooner
Organizer
Jacksonville, FL
Kimberley Pool
Beneficiary