Father receives help with bills after loss of his daughter’s mother | Share the Season
Share the Season is an annual campaign designed to financially assist Wichitans in need. The people are not identified to protect their privacy.
Throughout her life, Amber battled a medical condition that hospitalized her three times during her 31 years. When she unexpectedly collapsed at work and was sent to the hospital, things quickly took a turn for the worse. This time, her condition was so severe that it claimed the life of this mother of one.
“She just couldn’t be saved,” said Troy, Amber’s boyfriend and father of their daughter, Mia. With a five-year-old to take care of, the event left Troy feeling like his heart had been ripped out of his chest.
Amber had an arteriovenous malformation (AVM), a rare medical condition that causes the arteries and veins, usually in the head or spine, to swell due to an abnormal tangle of blood vessels. In Amber’s case, it was in her brain.
For nearly a month, Troy has not been able to work because of visiting Amber in the hospital, then staying at home with his daughter during their grief. With no income, the expenses continued to escalate and made it difficult for him to catch up.
“Bills were piling up and I was trying to cope with everything,” said Troy. “Car payments, electric bills, insurance, cable, rent… everything was due. I was stressed out.”
Troy was most worried about keeping up with rent, so he and his daughter could stay in their townhome, which has a special meaning to the family. “I didn’t want to lose the first home we had with Amber, as a family,” he said. “It’s really all me and my daughter have left to hold on to.”
That’s when he heard about Share the Season through his counselor at the Department for Children and Families. He applied online and after The Salvation Army reviewed it, his application was approved.
Share the Season responded by paying for his electric bill and one month of housing. The help from the program provided a more stable situation for Troy, so he could arrange for funeral costs and other expenses.
“After I received this help, I wasn’t stressing out about getting evicted. Especially with a five-year-old,” said Troy.
Troy spends his time at home with his daughter, cherishing the memories they have of Amber as a friend, partner and loving mother. He finds activities to help relax, such as going to the park, taking her to daycare to play with her friends and setting up an aquarium with fish.
“Kids are definitely resilient,” Troy said. “We’re trying to keep going forward.”
This family is one of many who will seek help this holiday season from Share the Season. This joint project of the Wichita Community Foundation, The Salvation Army, and The Wichita Eagle offers aid to people affected by unexpected hardships. The program is in its 21st year and this season has raised $162,500 to date.
“It meant so much to me and my daughter when we received this help,” Troy said. “It’s been a hard time but we’re trying to continue forward, just like Amber would want us to do.”
How to get help
To apply for assistance, fill out an application at www.sharetheseason.org or pick one up at The Salvation Army Headquarters, 350 N. Market. The application deadline is noon, January 17, 2021. For more information, call 316-263-2769.
How to give help
Send contributions to Share the Season at the Wichita Community Foundation, 301 N. Main, Suite 100, Wichita, KS 67202. To donate online, visit www.sharetheseason.org. If you have questions about donating, call 316-264-4880.
Donors will be listed in the final Share the Season New Year’s Day advertisement in The Wichita Eagle. Please contact the Wichita Community Foundation if you prefer for your donation to remain anonymous.