Jeanie Bordon and James Carver have been divorced for more than 12 years. But that hasn’t stopped Jeanie from stepping into a major caregiver role for James over the past year.
“He’s always been an awesome dad to our children,” said Jeanie. “So when he had a stroke last November, there was no question that I would do whatever was needed to help him.”
James is only 50. He’s done manual labor jobs most of his life, often as a contractor or on a self-employment basis. Doctors warned the stroke could permanently leave him unable without speech, the ability to walk and more. But with therapy and determination, James has fought through.
“He couldn’t even feed himself at first,” Jeanie shared. “His recovery is amazing, but there’s also been a lot of hardship.”
The recovery was impaired by a second stroke James suffered this summer. Thankfully, it was much less severe.
“But there just aren’t a whole lot of options for work for him with where his body is at right now with all of this,” Jeanie said. “We have been trying to get disability benefits for him, but it’s a very long process. We applied way back in December 2023 and are still waiting for that to get approved.”
With no income at all, keeping food on the table and the lights on has been a huge struggle.
“His electricity actually did get cut off at one point. And it’s a medical emergency for him, because in addition to the stroke, he has a pacemaker and it’s monitored through wi-fi in his home,” said Jeanie.
James had racked up utility charges of more than $900. Family and friends tried to scrape together money from anyone who could help, but they only managed to come up with about a third of that past due balance.
His healthcare providers learned of United Way’s Critical Medical Needs program and Jeanie reached out immediately.
“It’s huge, because honestly, for him pretty much adapting to a new way of life with all of the medical situations he’s dealing with and previously being such a physical person his entire life, it’s been really tough,” she said. “Not having to worry about the electricity bill now is truly tremendous. We are so very grateful.”
More than two dozen regional healthcare providers have been providing referrals to this United Way program and $100,000 of assistance has been distributed. Others are finding help through utility providers or self-referral.
Da’Von Hudson recently moved into a new apartment with her infant daughter. But soon after relocating, she got a massive utility bill. It turns out her old bill was combined with her new bill, essentially putting her two months behind. She reached out to 211 looking for help. Because Da’Von suffers from sickle cell disease, a chronic condition that requires medication and frequent doctor visits, a 211 Community Resource Navigator referred her to the United Way Critical Medical Needs program.
“I did the referral with my doctor, and it was much easier than I thought,” Hudson shared. “I just didn’t know these types of resources were out there. I was definitely gracious and just started crying on the phone when I learned United Way could help.”
Da’Von admits she was embarrassed to ask for assistance but is so thankful to her medical providers and the 211 team who made her feel at ease.
“It just shows that you’re not alone. There is a village out there willing to help. You still have resources in your city. It was amazing,” Hudson said.
She also knows initiatives like the Critical Medical Needs program wouldn’t be possible without the support of generous community partners and donors.
“Just to know there’s people out there willing to donate their own personal money to people they don’t even know is awesome,” said Hudson. “I appreciate you guys. I pray that this help can be made available to even more people.”