To Whom it May Concern:
Our names are John and Lonnie Reedy, we have been married for 25 years and have six beautiful children. During our marriage we have been blessed with three healthy children and good health ourselves. My husband and I chose many years ago that I would stay at home and raise these three children while John worked outside the home. John has always been able to cover all our financial needs. His job supplied all the income we needed. His job also afforded us the privilege of adding to our family by three.
In December of 2009 John lost his job of 20 plus years. We were then faced with no income of our own and no employment in the near future. I too found myself having health issues that were a huge surprise to me. I was diagnosed with pancreatic and uterine cancer. We felt that life was hard, but not overwhelming until then. We have since that time found ourselves in social service offices for help with our basic needs...ie food stamps, free school lunches, and help with our utilities.
Considering all that we are going through as a family I have to say this has been one of the best weeks in our adult lives. I was able to have a complete hysterectomy with the prognosis as positive and no chemotherapy needed. Later this week I had the pleasure of meeting, with Linda Nguyen at Asian Family Center, that meeting paid my power and gas bill. It was not a humiliating experience I expected it to be. I never thought in my life that I would ever have to actively seek out help to pay my utility bills, but I did.
I want to tell whoever it is that made this possible for my family how grateful I am and how this makes it possible for my husband and I to sleep easier. I have never been treated with more respect and compassion than Ms. Nguyen at IRCO’s Asian Family Center treated us. This is probably the most humbling experience I have ever experienced. I would ask that these kinds of services to continue to be funded. We are living in times that families are in places the never dreamed they would be in, nor prepared to be in . And it is agencies like this one that will enable my family to pay the mortgage next month and the months that follow.
Thank you so much for all you do for Portland families.
John and Lonnie Reedy
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