It’s the Season to Share
Sacha Hobbs, of Port St. Lucie, battled breast cancer two years ago and after was treated for a lesion on her liver. Last summer, doctors found nine inoperable tumors on the 40-yearold mother’s brain. She needs money for monthly rent, utilities, food and car insurance, as well as gas money to get to Tampa to see her doctors. But first, their car needs repairs. She would like to take her kids on a memory-making family vacation at Disney’s Fort Wilderness Resort & Park and to Sea World. She also needs gift cards for food and kids’ clothes. Nominated by:
To donate, visit: Veta Smart is a spirited, 3-year-old girl diagnosed earlier this year with a childhood blood cancer called Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia. Her family is buried under medical bills, not only for her cancer treatments but treatments for her 8-month-old sister, Georgia, who is recovering from meningitis. They are surviving mostly on her father’s income from working on a loading dock. Their mother can’t work as much since she has to care for the girls. The Riviera Beach family also needs money to repair a 23-year-old truck (or get a replacement), to make payments for their one working car, as well as to help with rent, utilities and the mounting medical costs.
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To donate, visit: Pedro Salas is a single father raising six children from 8 to 16 in Stuart. A meat cutter at WinnDixie, Salas lives in his parents’ house, while his parents live in a rented space. Salas needs funds to repair the house and buy a car that actually fits his family of seven. He also needs support to provide schools supplies, clothing, shoes and eyeglasses, in addition to a laptop/tablets for the children. Nominated by:
To donate, visit: Imogene Davis and her family lost almost all of their belongings in an August fire that tore through their Belle Glade home. With Imogene, 65, on disability and her husband Jimmy, 64, working as a seasonal farm laborer, they have had a difficult time recovering. They share their home with their three grandchildren and one great-grandson, ages 1 to 23. The Davis’ have barely any furniture. The couple needs a bed and mattress. Their great grandson needs a crib. The others are sleeping on mattress on the floor, and two others on a dismantled bunk bed. They have no couch, no living room chairs. Imogene needs a stove. The children could use a computer for school work. The family car needs new tires. It also two holes, one near the driver side pedals. Rolanda, 13, and Donald, 8, need school uniforms and clothes. Nominated by:
To donate, visit: Leo Robilotta, almost 2 years old, has frequent therapies and doctor appointments for the myriad health problems he’s had since his birth by emergency C-section. An adapted van and motorized wheelchair would allow him to get around better, and a hoist with a sling would help his parents move him safely. A head support system would encourage proper posture, while a special vest would support his core. A gait trainer would allow him to practice walking, and an adapted tricycle would help give him a sense of normalcy. Nominated by:
To donate, visit: Andres Maldonado, a 32-year-old father of four, worked as a landscaper until he broke his arm in an accident this year. Unable to pay for needed surgery and unable to work, he feels powerless to do what he wants most: support his family. Most desperately, Maldonado needs medical attention and surgery to repair his arm. Until he can return to work, he and his family need help with household bills and groceries. The children (girls ages 8, 4 and 2, boy aged 7) currently sleep on bare mattresses, on the floor of their modest Lake Worth home. They could use beds, clothing, books and toys. The family has one small, faltering TV, and no cable. Nominated by:
To donate, visit: Eliu Mattos, age 15, was born missing half a chromosome. He’s had about 10 surgeries including open heart surgery. His parents, Ronald and Sara Mattos, are struggling to keep up with their ailing son’s medical costs. The Boynton Beach family is already in debt. They need help with numerous medical bills, specialized hearing aids, and an iPad equipped with Proloquo2go, a speech program. Nominated by:
To donate, visit: For much of his life, Ari Manevitch, 11, has been using a wheelchair. Ari has cerebral palsy, cortical visual impairment and epilepsy. His family needs financial help for an Innowalk device that would let him walk with motorized assistance. Friends and family say insurance will not cover the cost, but they have raised about half the $36,000 needed for a version of the device Ari can use in his Boca Raton home.
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To donate, visit: Riley Shidaker, a 5-yearold West Palm Beach girl with cerebral palsy, has a wish list to help her family with her medical condition: a wheelchairaccessible minivan, gas cards to help with trips to therapy, car insurance, a seizure alert dog, horseback riding therapy, wheelchair arm extension for communication device, toilet and shower medical chair and a twin bed.
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To donate, visit: The Caceres family is in dire need, after fleeing from violence and political oppression in Honduras. Though Rosa Caceres has to use a wheelchair — due to her disfiguring rheumatoid arthritis — she lives in a second-floor Lake Worth apartment, and her husband must carry her down every time she needs to go out. It is increasingly difficult for her to care for her two toddlers. The family is hoping to raise money to buy a trailer. Rosa needs a caregiver to help with her children while her husband is working. The family needs a dependable car. And Rosa would benefit from an electric wheelchair, since her hands are often swollen from her condition. The adults could use legal help to help them with their immigration paperwork. And the family could use a crib for each of the girls and gift cards for clothing and groceries.
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To donate, visit: Camille Lockhart, a former chef, is undergoing chemotherapy treatments for cancer. The 52-year-old mother and her son, De’Angelo, are homeless. Lockhart was diagnosed with cancer in 2010 and underwent a bilateral mastectomy. The cancer returned four years later, spreading to her spine and ribs. She undergoes chemotherapy every Monday and takes numerous medications. They get around on a bicycle. She requests a permanent place for her and her 12-year-old son to call home, a reliable used car, financial assistance for medical needs, a laptop or computer with printer to be able to contact pharmaceutical companies for discounts, and gift cards to buy food.
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