Fridge for Lena and her Family

Lena has had to deal with difficult situations since she was a little girl. She spent most of her formative years in in boarding school, after social services removed her from her home because of violence there, and she has had little contact with her parents since. Despite this, Lena, 54, has always worked and tried to make a good, self-sufficient life for herself and her children (she has been divorced for over 20 years).

Self-sufficiency has become much harder since she developed a pulmonary respiratory disease and diabetes, for which she needs regular shots of insulin. These maladies forced Lena to leave her regular job and make daily functioning a struggle. However, she pushes to go to work every day, now as an aide to the elderly. On this low salary, she tries to meet the needs of her sons and the household, and to pay for the medical treatment that she needs.

Her oldest son, 26, lives at home with his girlfriend and their three-month old daughter. He works repair jobs and while he tries to contribute to the general expenses, cannot do much with his low, irregular earnings. Her second son, 24, is developmentally delayed and emotionally limited. He cannot work and is entirely dependent on Lena for support. The third son, 18, is just finishing high school.

Lena’s refrigerator has started to work erratically. Too many times recently, she has had to throw away its entire contents after they spoiled. She cannot afford this loss, particularly of her insulin shots. But she does not have the budget for a new fridge.