7-year-old PJ spent nearly 2 years in the hospital waiting for and recovering from a heart transplant. Mom forfeited her job to live with him the whole time as the decision maker required onsite for a pediatric patient. Dad is disabled and unable to work, so their income was only the small amount from Social Security disability. She continually hoped for a successful end of the waiting sometime soon so they could return home and recover. Grandmother, recovering from a stroke, occupied their apartment to help care for the two older children and contributed to the rent, but ultimately they fell behind in the payments. Mom applied for financial aid from Heartfelt Help Foundation’s Axel’s Helping Hand program when they exhausted their savings covering the gaps to ensure the apartment would be available to return to. HHF paid their rent for one month to prevent eviction, and Mom began mentoring from one of the financial coaches who volunteer through HHF so she can learn to manage their lives with very low income. Soon after, PJ received a new heart and they are enroute home.
“If it wasn’t for Axel’s Helping Hand, my children and I would probably be homeless by now. I am so grateful for the assistance that I have received. I was extremely stressed about how I would catch up on my overdue rent while caring for my hospitalized son, but Axel’s Helping Hand lifted that burden. Axel’s Helping Hand is a lifesaver and a blessing to families in their time of need.”
