I first visited this family of three in May, 2008.  The husband is in jail, however, he would probably not be there if the family could have afforded a good lawyer. 

Mother has one eye and needs new glasses (she can barely see but has to drive), and both children have cystic fibrosis and may need double lung transplants. They are on a list for section 8 housing, but because they were incorrectly denied, the family had to start the process all over a second time. The family's income comes from the VA (husband is a veteran) and some from Social Security, but Mother's income really does not cover expenses.  She is hanging by her fingernails. She cannot work as both children need extensive home care and have frequent doctor visits and hospital stays.

First visit: We paid $400 in rent and left her a $25 gift card.

The second visit took place in Nov, 2008. Section 8 had still not come through because the organization has no money. The family will have to reapply every month. One of our members arranged with the Lions’ Club to get the mother new glasses. The mother wants to help others in her situation and to be an example for her girls so that she has been studying sociology and human services at ACC with grants.  She needs a computer, prescriptions, and dental care.

Second visit:  We paid $601 in rent and left a $25 gift card.  The family was also signed up for a Thanksgiving gift basket.  We also signed them up for the Advent Giving Tree, even though it was after the deadline.

Since then, the younger child died at age 15.  The other older child was also in the hospital but was let out for the funeral.  We made an attempt to arrange for the father to attend the funeral, but he was not allowed to do so nor to view his daughter’s memorial online. Mother’s church, though small and poor, helped to raise money for the funeral.

We ordinarily do not give such large amounts, but the situation called for loving generosity.  I have called the family several times and visited with the Advent tree gifts.  She was very grateful and wrote notes both to me and to the Society. The older child has 55 % lung capacity and will need a lung transplant in the future. My heart goes out to this family. 

The work of the Society is not always about paying for utilities and handing out bags of food. For example, a mother who had a baby girl born with multiple medical problems recently contacted us for a home visit. When we met them, doctors said the baby had only 3 months left to live.

The mother and baby had no home or family in Round Rock and were living with another single mother who had taken them into her home. We sat with mother in the kitchen and discussed their needs. The mother said her baby needed a crib, but more important to her, she wanted her baby baptized. We ended our visit with a prayer.

The next day, another Vincentian was informed about the situation. One of our priests and one of our deacons went to visit the family and baptized the baby that day. Other Vincentians visited the mother and baby as well. We also gave the mother a voucher to go to the SVDP store to get a crib for her baby.

Sad to say, her baby passed away about a week later.

Vincentians went to visit the mother and helped make arrangements for the funeral. We called on our friends at Our Lady of the Rosary Cemetery and without hesitation they donated a place for the baby to lay to rest. Father celebrated Mass at our parish and members of the Vincentian family attend the service. The mother was grateful for the response of her Catholic family.