“Nobody expects to be homeless, but there I was.”
Imagine a life like Gina’s: happily married, raising three daughters, working a job she enjoyed. Then imagine no longer being able to see that life… or anything, actually. That’s what happened when Gina suddenly lost her eyesight.
Gina was blinded by disease. After many doctor appointments, she was diagnosed with a rare brain disease that affects 1 in 1,000 people.
As she struggled, her husband cracked under the pressure to support the family…and left them.
“I wound up with three kids, no house and a disease,” Gina says. “Nobody ever expects to be homeless, but there I was.”
Living out of the car with her kids, Gina called dozens of shelters, but only got one call back…from Hope of the Valley.
“When I walked in, they said, ‘We’ve been waiting for you. We want to help.’ I was so relieved.”
Gina and her three daughters moved into our Genesis House, where they could finally rest and regroup with the help of our staff and other women in the house.
“Everything my daughters and I needed was provided.”
But Gina still needed immediate medical attention. A few weeks after coming to Genesis House, she had a surgery that was unsuccessful. “They needed to schedule another operation that would require a longer recovery time…and it scared me. I didn’t know how I’d get through another surgery and care for my girls.”
But Hope of the Valley stepped in once again!
“A dear friend at the Mission said she’d watch the girls while I recovered.” And this surgery was a success!
Gina returned to Genesis House to recover…blessed by new hope in her life after her surgery and the love of everyone at the Mission.
Today, Gina and her husband have reconciled and the family has their own place. She’s so grateful for the support she found during the darkest moment of her life. “My life turned out happily ever after, thanks to the Mission’s help.”
To read the rest of the issue of Sharing Hope, click here.