Urgent AC Replacement for LeeAnn & Zachary

Hi. I am LeeAnn and this is my son. Zachary is autistic and has many health problems. I would have never thought I would need to do this. I used to be the one helping others. But that was years ago. Now I am widowed, and disabled, with many health issues of my own. I now find myself in serious, urgent need of help.

A LITTLE BACKGROUND:

My husband and I built our family’s dream home in 2010. We were very happy. Then my husband became ill in 2014 and died in 2015 at the age of 54.

I tried to not fall apart, to hold my little family together, to keep working, and to keep paying the bills and the mortgage. I did okay for about a year, then I couldn’t hold it together any longer. I had to take a few months off, then shortly after returning to work I fell at home and shattered my left arm. Just as I was healing from that, I was rear-ended and suffered a broken back. That ended my working. I suffer daily from it and can only walk a few yards till the pain is excruciating. I see a pain management specialist but they can only do so much.

Up until now, we have managed to get by. It’s been hard, sometimes very hard, but we have somehow managed. I know the Good Lord has taken care of us, and I hope He is guiding us in this.

WHY WE DESPERATELY NEED HELP:

The air conditioning in our home quit after 12 years. I got several estimates, but they all said the whole system has to be replaced. Quotes averaged $14,000. I have not been able to save anything towards it.

I have bought several fans, and a couple of portable air conditioning units. They helped some last year, but only one works now. I keep it in my son’s room and I use the fans. We are both diabetic and this disease has messed up our thermoregulatory systems. This makes it very difficult for our bodies to handle extreme temperatures.

WHY IT IS AN EMERGENCY:

We live in Florida. Between the high temperatures and the humidity, it can get very dangerous, fast. The temperature outside has already been in the mid to high 90s. Now it is getting into the low hundreds. This is just early June. I honestly do not see how we can bear it through the summer.

As I said earlier, my son is autistic with many other health issues. He is not able to work, but he helps me so much at home. Zachary loves animals. He has chickens which provide us with eggs, and provide him with lots of enjoyment. We have dogs and cats, and we are doing everything we can to keep them safe and avoid them getting overheated. They tend to stay in Zachary’s room most of the time. I am saving up money to get an attorney to help get Zachary on some kind of disability income. That would help with paying his medical bills and some of our living expenses.

My daughter is married and has a family of her own now. She helps us as much as she can, and is so good about driving us to doctor appointments, etc. She and her husband have welcomed us into their home anytime. We try to go only on the hottest nights, but we cannot move in with them, and do not want to put a hardship on them.

If we can get a new air conditioner system, that will ease our burden tremendously. It truly is an emergency.

Thank you.