Support for Joanne Willard

Please join me in lending a helping hand to a very special friend and human being, Joanne Willard. Two days ago, Joanne was diagnosed with cancer. The good news is that it is a common and most often "curable" form of cancer. The bad news is that for someone like Joanne, who is a 63-year old widow and devoted mother struggling to make it on a fixed income supplemented by some freelance writing and substitute teaching, a diagnosis such as this can be financially crippling. You see, Joanne has not had it easy. She contracted polio as an infant and has suffered from post-polio syndrome in recent years. She has always been a fighter who never let her physical limitations steer her trajectory in life. Coming from humble beginnings, Joanne knows better than anyone what it means to work hard for a better future. That tenacity and vigor led her straight to Yale University, as one of their first female undergraduates. She continued on to complete her Ph.D. coursework at Teacher’s College, Columbia University. Joanne excelled academically but never chose the likely path that most people of her intellectual abilities would. She knew her true calling was for something more magnanimous. Joanne always felt the need to extend a helping hand to those less fortunate than even herself. She and her late husband served as foster parents for a number of children in need of a home and adopted three inner-city minority babies in hopes of giving them a better chance at life. When her husband became disabled, she gave up her career to care for him, and shortly after became her disabled father’s full-time caregiver. By the time her beloved husband died, when her youngest child was only 12, she had depleted all of her savings and found the job market very unfriendly toward a woman in her fifties. She is still struggling to get one son through college right now and hold on to her home. In spite of the adversity she has faced in life, Joanne finds the need to continuously give back – volunteering her skills and time toward helping others reach their goals. She tutors children and adults in grammar and literature as a way to make extra money to support her family, but also because it's a natural calling of hers. She has similarly volunteered her time and expertise to write grants to try to raise funds for important causes, such as sustainable agriculture. Joanne has a kind heart. Sometimes people with the most compassion and love in their hearts are the ones who suffer the most. The enemy will always try to harden their hearts and weaken their spirits. I've started this "go fund me" page not only to raise money to help a friend, but to send a message that good people can always make it through with the love and support of other good people. Joanne is one person who deserves the help. She is a child of God and very active in her Christian ministry, serving as co-chair of the worship committee and choir member at First United Methodist Church in Berlin, New York. She is also involved in the Walk to Emmaus movement and lay servanthood. Joanne is set to begin a treatment plan to beat her cancer. The initial surgical procedure has an estimated recovery time of several weeks, during which she will not be able to teach, and she will require regular follow-up for some months after that. She lives in a rural community more than an hour from the hospital, and even the transportation costs will be a challenge for her, not to mention insurance co-pays. As an under-employed, single parent and sole provider for her household, Joanne will be in need of serious financial support during this difficult time. I ask that you donate whatever your heart moves you to give…$1, $5 $20 – it will gratefully be accepted. Most of all, I ask for you to join me in sending up prayers for the best possible outcome. Please feel free to share this with your friends and family. Thank you. God bless you!