Book of Handouts Article 11/25/2007

Someone at the Times Liberal must be reading this blog because the quality of the people asking for stuff in the Book of Handouts seems to be getting a little better, even though the writers at the Times Liberal are really pushing it to try to get you to feel sorry for the people they write about:

"For Harold, things weren’t going well in January 2005. Furloughed from his manufacturing job of nine years at Techneglas, the father of three was job hunting.

But there was hope; the township street department had an opening. Harold stopped at his prospective boss’s home to check on his application. It went well. He went home and had some coffee.

Suddenly, something went terribly wrong." I know it's not funny but when I first read this line I mockingly said *GASP* OH NO!!! After reading the full article I felt like an ass despite the terribly written one liner.

“I went to get up and I couldn’t. I called for my daughter and the words came out wrong,” said Harold, now 50. His young son hid behind the couch. His teenage daughter ran across the street to where her mother, Emma, was working at a day-care center. A nurse who happened to be there to pick up her child raced to Harold’s side.

The nurse knew right away – he was having a stroke. Before Harold arrived at the hospital, he had a second. He hasn’t been able to work a full day since, he said." This can be very believable. I found out through several medical professionals that a stroke can leave people disabled for the remainder of their lives to the point that rehabilitation can only hide some of the permanent signs left afterwards. It depends on the severity of the stroke.

"Harold’s disability started a downward spiral that left the five-person family struggling to fill basic needs – from replacing worn-out appliances to buying basics such as fuel oil and clothing." I met similar people this happenned to after sufering strokes or being diagnosed with debilitating diseases. It's a very unfortunate consequence.

"Donations to this season’s project will allow Harold and Emma’s family to acquire basic necessities, perhaps allowing them to set aside a few dollars for much-needed home repairs." It's right after here that the quality of the article declines. To save the readers of this blog the headache, I'll paraphrase objectively:

The couple has three kids: a 20 year old daughter a 16 year old daughter and an 11 year old son. All five live in a house that looks like a construction zone because after the stroke the father couldn't finish major home improvement projects he started prior to having the stroke. Due to his condition, he can't keep a full-time job.

"Harold, who had been active with the area’s fire and ambulance companies, is able to maintain a part-time job at a gas station. “He works four hours and has to come home and sleep for three,” Emma said. “He took a job (on an assembly line) but fell asleep on his feet and that was it.” Besides coping with exhaustion, Harold also finds it takes him longer to process information and make decisions. “His clots were at the top of his brain,” Emma said. “The doctor explained that nature finds a way and the blood gets around, but it takes longer for everything to work." Harold’s challenges are not the family’s only medical issues.

Emma has severe and painful psoriasis." I'm not sure if the family or the Times Liberal are stretching it but psoriasis in some cases can lead to disability.

"Ruth [the 20 year old daughter] has fibromyalgia, her mother said." The other daughter has fibromyalgia. Their 11 year old son is also diagnosed with ADHD which I think is a crock of sh*t.

"With so many medical needs and appointments to tend to, Emma can’t take a full-time job. Disability checks and Harold’s part-time earnings don’t stretch far enough." I would never want to be in their situation. But here's where I think the article goes out of control trying to play on people's emotions:

"Ruth, who attends Luzerne County Community College, works part time, but rising gas prices guzzle any extra, they explained. Harold sat with his head down, silent and holding back tears. “It’s such a blow when you were the breadwinner and now you’re on disability,” he said at last. “Everybody thinks I have it made, because I’m home, because my cars are good. The cars are a reminder of the past, when he made a good wage at a job he loved. “If I still worked at Techneglas,” said Harold, “this house would be great.”Still, he dreams. “If I could finish the laundry room – it just needs flooring and sheetrock – I could move the washer and dryer. Then I could insulate that room,” he said, pointing past the sheet in the doorway. “If I could get in the insulation, it wouldn’t be so cold.”Harold said he’s been offered dented sheet rock at a discount, but there’s never enough extra cash for even damaged building supplies. Emma adds another dose of reality: the clothes washer and dryer are in such bad shape they might not survive the trip upstairs. The washer lid recently came off and the dryer probably should be considered a fire hazard. “It doesn’t shut off unless you open the door,” she said. Newer washer and dryer machines are just two of the family’s many pressing needs. The 22-year-old refrigerator is on borrowed time. Margie – in pain from her many medical conditions – sleeps on a futon that can’t be opened because the unfinished bedroom doesn’t have enough space. Harold can’t shovel snow any more, and his used snow blower gave out last year. Winter clothes. Oil for heat. Gas for trips to Hershey’s hospital and to school. Snow tires so Ruth can safely travel to class. The list of necessities out of reach seems endless. And yet, the family goes out of its way for others, said friend and neighbor Carol Costantino, who nominated the family for the Book of Dreams project. “They are just wonderful people,” she said. When Costantino had surgery last year, Emma cleaned her house and Harold helped out with odd jobs. “Emma slept here many times to help me,” Costantino said. “They don’t have much of their own, but they give from their hearts. She’d be thrilled to see the family receive a delivery or two of building supplies. “If someone gave them the supplies, we would round up some people to help them get put in,” she said...

With a shake of her head, Emma refused suggestions to dream for something fun. “We need so much,” she said, “I can’t afford to ask for fun.”

Maybe I'm just insensitive but I don't think you need to add all the touchy feely crap to drive the point home. Regardless this family is one I would cosnider helpign despite the poorly written article. I can find it easy to believe that they really need help. People really looking for a handout will go out of control asking for free sh*t but this family seemed modest in their needs for the most part. Here's what they're asking for:

Heating oil – $1,650
Clothes washer/dryer – $799
Refrigerator – $750
Snow tires – $360
Gas cards – $100
Winter coat – $55
Jeans – three at $20
Long-sleeved shirts – four at $15
Sweatshirts – two at $15
Nightgown – $35
Robe – $40
Boy’s sneakers – $20
Bionicles – $25
Art supplies – $25
Books – $25
Drinking glasses – $25
Utensils – $60
Board games – three at $15
Dream Total – $4,164"