By Nancy Eshelman
The whining is ramping up.
You’ve heard it, right?
“My sister got her stimulus check, but I didn’t.”
“Why can people fish but I can’t play golf?”
“Why can’t small shops open and let in 10 people at a time?”
I understand. It’s getting old being cramped up all day long.
So, let me tell you about the Fessenden family. After hearing their story, maybe you’ll feel a bit better about your situation.
I “met” Johanna Fessenden sometime in the past year. It wasn’t really a meeting, but a long phone call. Occasionally I write short articles for Vickie’s Angels, a charity that helps people with cancer pay their bills.
I volunteer to write for them because I find Vickie’s Angels and its founder Mickey Minnich to be just what the name implies – angels. They pay rent, car payments or utility bills or buy groceries for people with cancer. It’s a stress-reducing means of helping.
When I spoke with Johanna last year, Vickie’s Angels had helped her and her husband get out of a hotel room and rent a house. She was overjoyed that her son, Jayken, now 6, would have a backyard where he could play.
Johanna’s husband, Jay, who recently turned 40, has been battling cancer for years. It’s been in his brain and his spinal fluid. He’s had surgery to remove a portion of his brain. As a result, he suffers from frequent seizures.
The house that had made them so happy last year turned out to have problems. One of them was mold. Long story short, they had to move out by March 31.
So now the three of them are living in one hotel room. And Johanna is working from home. And Jayken is doing his school work. And Jay, well, he’s been in the hospital this past week.
Turns out that Jay has an infected cyst on his neck. The hospital is working to identify the infection, but they cannot remove the cyst because it is sitting atop a device implanted in his neck to help prevent seizures.
Johanna can’t visit him because of restrictions on hospital visitations. Still, she’s one of those quiet people whose faith seems to help her find the silver lining.
Right now, she’s quite excited because she’s found a house she thinks they can buy. The stimulus check from the government will provide just enough for a down payment. The sellers have accepted her offer. This could be happening.
“We’ve just had so many curve balls thrown in our direction that it’s hard to be optimistic,” she said.
On another positive note, Johanna’s mother recently moved to the area. She’s taking Jayken part of the day so Johanna can work uninterrupted. The two of them eat dinner with her mom.
“I don’t have to make meals. That’s a plus,” Johanna said about life in a hotel room.
Like most caregivers, Johanna does more than her share.
“Finding a house brought a little bit of hope,” she said, “but I’m exhausted. There’s not enough coffee in the world right now.”
When Minnich heard about Johanna and Jay’s latest situation, he offered help through Vickie’s Angels. So far, Johanna has turned him down.
Vickie’s helped them twice over the course of Jay’s illness, which makes Johanna reluctant to accept help again.
She knows that Vickie’s Angels, like other charities, is being hurt by the pandemic. People who usually organize fund-raising activities, such as bowling, golf tournaments, salon days and such, have canceled them, so donations are down.
Johanna, who heads an agency that serves homeless women and children, said her job provides a perspective that allows her to feel as if her family is doing OK even in its present circumstances.
“I know there are so many people who need help. I don’t want to take anything if we don’t need it,” she said. “But it’s nice to know if I need it, it’s there.”
The Fessendens are one of more than 2,000 area families that Vickie’s Angels has helped since 2003. Every penny donated to Vickie’s Angels online or through its events goes directly to the families.