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7 selections of fresh vegetables
6 selections of
fresh fruits
7 varieties of
frozen meats
5 bags of
non-perishables
1 bag of paper
products and personal care items
Gifts from a Secret Pal
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As
a person grows older, his or her physical health may begin to decline.
Society has created many safeguards to help prevent these burdens from
becoming too difficult to handle, but these do not erase the problem
completely. Fortunately, many senior citizens are cared for by the very
children they raised. The children whose scraped knees they once bandaged
may now hold the responsibility of administering heart medication. Other
senior citizens, however, are not surrounded by these loved ones and must
face the aging process alone. Such is the story of 79 year old Mae V. Mae is
living with numerous medical conditions, but still finds the strength to
perform many activities that some may consider atypical for a woman her age,
including caring for her young granddaughter! We would like to take this
opportunity to share with you a little information about Mae so you can see
what a remarkable person she is.
Mae was born in Westmont,
but grew up in Washington state. At the age of 19, however, Mae moved back
to Westmont with her first husband. The 15 year marriage ended badly,
leading Mae to avoid speaking of it. She was fortunate to find happiness in
her second marriage. The relationship provided Mae with 47 years of love and
emotional support, despite a lack of financial security, until her husband’s
recent passing. Over the two marriages, Mae brought three sons and a
daughter into the world. The family lived together, but Mae’s husband’s
gambling problem caused much financial and emotional strain. The money Mae
and her husband had earned while working at Rexnord, an airline part
production company, was proving to be insufficient to provide for both the
family and his addiction, sliding them more and more into debt.
As time passed, the
children moved out and began families of their own, providing Mae with a
total of 18 grandchildren. Three children live nearby, but only her daughter
can provide any support. Mae has cared for her 11 year old granddaughter,
Melissa, since birth as her mother passed away due to a drug overdose and
her father, Mae’s son, has drug and alcohol problems of his own. Mae is
grateful to have Melissa around for company and help cleaning the house, but
there is only so much a young girl can do to help. Sadly, Mae rarely sees
any other family members.
Mae has a vast list of
medical issues, including lung disease from unknown causes, heart bypass
surgery, hip and knee replacement, and hand surgery for carpal tunnel
syndrome. She remains surprisingly positive through all of this saying that
she is in good health. She does admit that she moves much slower and bending
is difficult after the hip and knee replacements, making housework more
strenuous than it used to be. She refuses to let that stop her life. She
still lives to crochet and do beadwork and even displays her crafts at
fairs. She relaxes by reading mystery novels and craft magazines after a
busy day of keeping her house clean and maintained. She winds down every day
by cooking dinner for herself and her granddaughter. With $1,000 of her
$1,700 income being applied to mortgage payments, any person in her
situation would have a hard time scraping enough money and energy together
to purchase food every month. But now, thanks to you we can provide her with
80-90 lbs of groceries every month. Now this unrelenting woman can know that
she can continue to make her daily meals and continue with the life she has
lived for so long.
Things to Remember about Mae:
• Mae’s birthday is May 28, 1925.
• She is raising and living with her 11 year old granddaughter, Melissa.
• She enjoys crocheting, bead work, and all types of crafts.
• She enjoys reading mystery novels and cleaning her home.
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