Stories of COVID's Impact on Our Community

Maria is a 43-year old single mother with a 15 and 11-year old. She lost her job as a housekeeper due to COVID shutdowns. She was being treated for anemia and urgently needed a GI consultation but was unable to pay for it. The Cecilia Fund  quickly addressed her urgent need. This young woman is likely the tip of the iceberg of other women in the community whose jobs have not recovered and are struggling single parents.

Ray is a 71-year old gentleman who runs a small business with his wife. He was diagnosed with cancer and wasn’t able to work in the months prior to COVID. When COVID hit, they had to close the store and were struggling to get by on their Social Security and limited savings. His medical insurance has a high out-of-pocket maximum meaning he’s responsible for co-pays until his insurance covers at 100%. The Cecilia Fund helped him pay the portion of his medical bills he was responsible for.

Kelly is a 52 year old woman who has worked as a waitress in Santa Barbara restaurants for over 20 years. Due to COVID restrictions and shutdowns she has worked far fewer hours during the past months and earned far less income and has had to dip into her savings to meet monthly expenses. She was diagnosed with mouth cancer and even though she has medical insurance she’s had medical bills to pay. Before she could begin radiation treatment she needed dental treatment, which was more than she could afford. A social worker at Ridely-Tree Cancer Center requested financial assistance from The Cecilia Fund to pay for the dental work that would allow her to receive her cancer treatment. She plans to return to work after the radiation treatment.

Joshua is a 10-year old, one of three children in a family of five. His mother lost her job due to COVID and his father’s hours were cut by 50%, dropping their income to $1200/month, well below the Federal Poverty level. The Cecilia Fund was contacted by Santa Barbara Neighborhood Clinics when he presented with extreme pain in one of his molars. They determined he needed to be referred to a specialist for immediate treatment in order to save the tooth. The Cecilia Fund authorized payment and he was seen by a specialist the next day.