When Jane Cunningham’s home was in dire need of repairs and medical debt grew after her son was diagnosed with cancer, neighbors stepped in to help.
“Her home of 25 years in Sudbury, Massachusetts was a sanctuary as she became a single mother raising three children, including a son diagnosed with cancer,” CBS News reported Saturday.
However, the home was falling apart. The roof had collapsed, animals took up residence, and the family stopped living in parts of the house to protect their health.
“There was mold everywhere. Other things were just crumbling. It was kind of like our life fell apart a few years ago. It just became too much,” Cunningham recalled.
She knew their family was not safe there but could not afford the needed repairs. However, just when Cunningham thought she was out of options, a friend started a GoFundMe page to help remedy the situation, according to WBZ-TV.
“She has been struggling with ongoing health issues in the family, and this would really take some of the stress away for all of them,” the page read.
“Not only have they been dealing with water in the house, but also critters getting into the house too. Please donate what you can. Thank you so much!” it continued.
When construction executive Dave Fenton heard about the effort, he picked up the phone and made some calls.
“It was in my town, and without a doubt, it was something we needed to do,” Fenton said.
It did not take long before multiple people got involved by donating materials and labor to do the repairs.
Community members raised around $50,000 in donations to repair the house and pay off medical bills.
“When you’re carrying a lot of problems alone, it can feel very alone with them and very overwhelmed. What they did, it’s like taking a boulder off my back,” Cunningham noted.
Fenton said the crews plan to return in the near future to work on landscaping and the home’s exterior.