It’s been only two weeks since a horrible nightmare hit a Tonawanda family. On Dec. 17, Jessica Cameron, a 25-year-old mom of three, was working at her job at Tim Hortons on Niagara Street, when her ex-boyfriend and father of her children allegedly threw a flammable liquid on her and set her on fire outside, according to police. Now Cameron remains in a medically-induced coma so she can heal and get through the excruciating pain, while her three boys, ages 1, 3 and 4, are being taken care of by her family.
John Gatas, a WNY realtor, and Sweet Buffalo sat down with Jessica’s grandmother at breakfast today to find out more about what the community can do to help the family and the answer isn’t so simple…they need a home.
Right now Jessica’s children are bouncing from family member to family member’s house, while Jessica’s mom, Christina, is at the hospital to be close to her daughter who will be going through 60 days of surgeries. Jessica also has a 6-year-old brother, Lincoln, who Jessica’s parents care for. Lincoln has Pontocerbellar Hypoplasia, a group of conditions that affect the brain. He is nonverbal, cannot sit up on his own, and requires around the clock care and many hospital visits. While this is a difficult task taking care of one medically fragile child, adding three more children under the age of five is a very large undertaking and being under one roof together would bring so much comfort to all.
”Right now we’re all trying to help with the boys, said Maryann Ray Cline, Jessica’s grandma. “My place is too small, Jessica’s mom’s place is too small. We just need one place big enough so that they can settle the boys in and have Lincoln set up. They need to have some kind of security…some kind of constant for this next year.”
The family needs a four-bedroom house with a family room and dining room set up for Lincoln and all of his machines. While money has been donated to Jessica via a GoFundMe account, Jessica’s mom is saving that funding for Jessica for when she leaves the hospital one day, but they need a new home for the family now.
”It would be a huge stress relief if my daughter had a home where the boys could be every day. She could see them when she got back from the hospital and in between visits. They would be in the same home every night, they would have their beds, their toys. Giving them that security would take so much stress away from the boys and my daughter,” said Maryann.
Maryann says her granddaughter, Jessica, is a very funny and social person who also enjoys reading books and being near the ones she loves. She hopes in the future her granddaughter will be able to enjoy a quiet place to read books with her children again.
“She will be wearing the results of this her whole life, but I hope she doesn’t have to wear it in her heart,” said Maryann.
If you have a home or know of a home that may be able to accommodate Jessica’s family, reach out John Gatas, realtor at Keller Williams Realty, at 716-444-7172 or on Facebook.
Donations of beds, clothing, gift cards, anything the family can use can be dropped off at: The City of Tonawanda Fire Department, 44 William Street, Tonawanda, NY 14150.
