Hospice of Santa Barbara
Alicia is a 54 year old woman who was diagnosed with metastatic ovarian cancer last year. Her disease was very advanced by the time it was diagnosed and already causing a great deal of pain and discomfort. Returning to work in housekeeping was not an option. Alicia lives with her husband, who has been unable to work since the start of COVID due to complications of diabetes and other health problems. Their adult son also lived with them and helped with household expenses. Unfortunately, shortly after her diagnosis, their son was deported to Mexico, to the same area where his brother had been kidnapped years ago and never seen again. All at once, Alicia was terminally ill, heartbroken and stressed that they would be unable to pay rent.
At the beginning of 2022, we were able to connect them to United Way who granted 3 months of rent and her husband was able to go back to work. Because they were behind to start with, they had not been able to catch up- until Starfish stepped in.
Alicia is now in medical hospice and the one thing she doesn’t have to worry about before she dies is that her husband is left with unpaid or late bills.