Franco Family Fund

Learn to do right; seek justice. Defend the oppressed. Take up the cause of the fatherless; plead the case of the widow. — Isaiah 1:17

The Lord watches over the foreigner and sustains the fatherless and the widow. — Psalm 146:9

When Jesus came into Peter’s house, he saw Peter’s mother-in-law lying in bed with a fever. He touched her hand and the fever left her. — Matthew 8: 14 – 15

There has been a stroke in my family. I’m here to plead the case of my mother-in-law and her family, the Francos—a family composed of three families: mine and my wife’s, and her two brothers’ households.

The stroke that has affected this family’s matriarch is bringing all of those who care for her to the brink of financial collapse. We are at our collective wits’ end and are reaching out to you for help.

Neither they nor I know how to navigate these waters. We are not equipped to handle these challenges. The stress on everyone is enormous.

The Matriarch Loved by God

As I share our circumstances, I petition you to consider our need. Bring it before the Lord and please ask him how you ought to respond.

God cares for each of us. He loved the world so much that he gave his only son to pay the price for us (John 3:16).

And, though you might not expect it, God also knows and cares for those who belong to categories of the often neglected. He names them and tells of his care for each.

We know he cares for children: “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these” (Matthew 19:14). Jesus loves the little children, all the little children of the world.

Who else does God love? As shown above, his love also goes out to the widow, the foreigner, and—yes, men—even mothers-in-law.

My wife’s mother is all of these. And, as one made in God’s image, we can say she is God’s child, just like her children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren.

She has been a widow for decades. Yet, never remarrying, she has always managed to manage herself.

She was a foreigner to the U.S., coming here legally, working as a hotel housekeeper, and even earning a pension for her efforts. As my mother-in-law, and out of love for my wife, I would tell you: she deserves better than can currently be provided.

Only One Place

The stroke Miss Mavis had suffered three months ago has caused her and her family to suffer. My mother-in-law is now dysfunctional and in the hands of a medical system that can only help so much.

For this octogenarian, the result of her medical event is speech and memory deficits, mobility problems, and uncomfortable private convenience issues. For her family, there are now questions of how to financially maintain their own households, and how to sustainably and reasonably maintain her health and comfort.

After hospitalization and rehabilitative care, there have been continual efforts by my wife (i.e., my household) and her brothers’ households to care for their mother. She’s doing all that she can do, as am I—though, as a disabled veteran, I am limited.

The family’s endeavors to care for their mother, while somewhat effective, are limited to the funds that can get the job done, which the family does not have in abundance, and are restricted to available time, as each one is employed.

The emotional burden is intense. The financial burden is heavy. Our families, all a part of the larger family, are suffering.

What is now sadly apparent is that my mother-in-law can only be effectively cared for in one place, one where she can be tended to around the clock—that is, she needs a long-term care facility. With that, comes the possibility of personal bankruptcy for those who would pay for such a place, as we don’t know how to afford a nursing home.

At this time, we cannot conceive of a solution.

In case you are wondering if Medicare is a solution, it is not. Mavis had returned to Costa Rica, her home country, some years ago; such a program is not available there.

Move On?

We know Who will provide the solution. We don’t know what it will look like. Nor do we know through whom it would be provided.

Yet, you are here, considering the Franco family need. What will you do? Will you be part of our solution, or will you move on? Will you help to provide for others?

Would you please ask God a question? Will you say to him What would you have me do, to aid this family?

I need you to ask the question. My wife needs you to ask. Her brothers need you to ask. Miss Mavis needs you to ask. God wants you to consider the question.

I’ll ask: What will you do to help us?

I’ll also take this full circle. I’ll sum up by saying: my family is oppressed by our shared medical and financial circumstances, and I’m pleading the case of one woman and those who love her—the widow in the family (Isaiah 1:17), and those who belong to her.

I’m asking for she who had been a stranger in a strange land (Exodus 2:22, Psalm 146:9). And I’m asking for my mother-in-law, whom I refuse to allow to go unnoticed (Matthew 8:14 – 15).

Can We Count on Your Help?

Kevin H, Vineland, New Jersey