Disease is the easiest way to take smiles away from a family. Combine that with unemployment, and it’s nearly impossible for single parents who are out of a job and suffer from illness to take care of their families.
A single mother wrote to The Item saying she was diagnosed with a rare skin disease with no cure. She is currently undergoing chemotherapy and other medication to find the proper cure. It is a horrific disease as she said, and hard to stabilize.
“It felt like the glass is in your body, and it is extremely itchy,” the mother wrote. She was on paid family medical leave until her job fired her and now she is no longer able to work due to her condition and doctor’s note. A service dog is now around the disabled mother.
The kind-hearted mother used to be the one donating and volunteering to help pets and kids in need. She is now in the same boat as the people who she used to help.
Please help The Item Santa with its goal to bring joy to the family, as the mother wishes to see a smile on her son’s face when he wakes up on Christmas morning, with a gift.
The family already had a difficult time coping with this change. The mother would be heartbroken to let her boy wake up with nothing on Christmas.
“Please consider me, to help me through this difficult time, I would greatly appreciate it more than you know,” said the mother. She continued on to say that her son is her life, and the only thing she wants is to make him happy.
Now in its 56th year, the Item Santa fund helps to make Christmas brighter for the needy. To donate, clip the coupon in The Item and mail it, along with your check, to The Item Salvation Army Santa, 85 Exchange St., Lynn, MA 01901.
There is also a way to donate online through the Salvation Army at itemsanta.org.
All donations are listed in Item print editions through the month of December and into 2023, along with a brief message from each donor, if desired.
NOTE: The application period for aid from Item Santa has closed and The Item does not process applicants. All questions about the program and distribution of gifts should be directed to The Salvation Army at 781-598-0673.
