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7 selections of fresh vegetables
6 selections of
fresh fruits
7 varieties of
frozen meats
5 bags of
non-perishables
1 bag of paper
products and personal care items
Gifts from a Secret Pal
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We
have seniors from all over the world enrolled in our Senior Citizen Project. We have seniors who speak with gentle
Southern
drawls, thick Eastern European accents, or soft Latin-American
lilts. We
love to hear all of their stories about where they grew up, and how they
decided to come here to the suburbs of Chicago. The senior who comes from
the farthest away, however, is Isis.
80-year-old Isis
immigrated to America 14 years ago from her native land of Egypt. She has
family scattered as far and wide as you can imagine, from her home country
to Costa Rica, and from Connecticut to California. Sadly, Isis is not able
to see many of her family members, and she has only memories to sustain her.
When we met Isis in 1999, we knew we could make a difference to her.
Growing up in Egypt, Isis
was a studious girl. She is proud to say that she speaks five languages,
including English, German, French, and Arabic. In her younger days, she worked
at a hotel which was renowned for being the only hotel in Egypt to have a
private beach. This meant that two-piece bathing suits, which could have
gotten you arrested elsewhere, were allowed at Isis’ hotel. Isis was married
and had 4 children, but found herself increasingly alone as all of her
children moved to America to find work. When her husband passed away about
20 years ago, she finally made the decision to join her children in America.
For a while, Isis lived
with her son, but his second-floor apartment was difficult for her to
access, so she decided to move into a senior citizen complex. She has very
little family that lives by, but she has a friend in the complex that is
from the Czech Republic, and they visit with each other almost everyday. However,
she still finds herself lonely and missing her family. Adding to her despair
is the fact that one of her sons passed away
a couple of years ago. He
had been battling cancer for some time. Isis has her own health problems to
worry about, however. She had a stroke several years ago, and has been
paralyzed on her left side ever since. She needs a wheelchair to get around
her small apartment, and it is almost impossible for her to go out. Her
income of only $562 a month leaves little left over to save after her
subsidized rent of $102, and her monthly medical bills of $152.
Despite her physical and
financial problems, Isis is a very positive woman. She is deeply religious,
and spends much of her time reading the Bible and studying Scripture. She
also likes to keep up on current events and reads the news every day. She
used to be an avid painter, but has had to slow down ever since her stroke.
In regards to the food deliveries she receives from HSP, she says that she
likes everything, and sometimes there’s even enough to share with her
neighbors. She believes in accepting the good things others do for you, and
in sharing when you have an abundance, she says! With your help we can
continue to make sure that Isis is always able to feel she has an abundance,
even on her limited income.
Things to Remember about Isis:
• Isis’ birthday is November 15, 1927.
• Her monthly income is $562.
• She is Egyptian Orthodox, which is like Greek Orthodox.
• She loves stuffed animals.
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