JAY —

have suffered a series of misfortunes that would make even the strongest person cry.

Randy had been self-employed for many years, until the 2008 recession hit. He had owned Adams Masonry, but the economic crisis spent things spiraling downhill. Meanwhile, Bonnie had been working for SW & B, but when the recession hit, they were forced to downsize. The amount of work the firm was able to provide her decreased substantially.

In 2011, their daughter, Danielle, was sentenced to prison. Since then, Bonnie and Randy have been taking care of her three children, Madysyn, age 6, Cameryn, age 3, and Kaydin, age 2.

Randy took a job with Sullivan & Merritt in Winslow, and with him resuming steady work, it looked like things were improving for the family. Then, things took a dramatic turn for the worse.

In early October, Bonnie was hospitalized for a brain aneurysm. She recounted what had occurred.

“I was feeling a little sick the night before,” she remembered. “The next morning, I thought the top of my head was going to explode.”

Her son took her to Franklin Memorial Hospital. It was there that the aneurysm was discovered, and Bonnie was taken by LifeFlight to a Boston hospital.

“They got ahold of me at lunch,” said Randy, who was at work. “By the time I got to Farmington, they figured out that she needed to go somewhere else.”

Bonnie had surgery to remove the aneurysm.

“The doctors there were phenomenal,” said Randy. “We were lucky it ruptured and didn’t burst.”

He added that if it had burst, Bonnie would have died.

“I feel lucky to be alive, too,” she said. She said she was proud of being able to walk out of the hospital on her own two feet.

The doctors found three other small aneurysms that weren’t life-threatening, but will eventually become so if not taken care of. One of the doctors is trying to find a way to get Bonnie down to Boston to take care of the rest of the aneurysms.

“He’s been phenomenal,” said Bonnie. “He said to us many times, ‘if I never get paid, I won’t worry about it.'”

Bonnie spent 14 days in the hospital. The family is dealing with thousands of dollars worth of medical bills, and Bonnie doesn’t have health insurance.

“We can’t get public assistance because we own this property next door,” said Randy, pointing to a trailer on an adjacent lot. “If we sell that, not only does it not cover the bills but it doesn’t cover us for later in life.

“We’ve just had a rough run all the way around,” he said sadly. “Since the recession, it’s been downhill.”

Because Bonnie is recovering from her surgery, and the couple is taking care of the three grandchildren, Randy has to stay home. He’s frustrated that he can’t work but realizes he has no choice. Bonnie will be out of work 8-12 months with a good recovery, and also if she doesn’t undergo surgery for the other aneurysms.

Randy is thankful that his employer, Sullivan & Merritt, has graciously held his job for him. They told him he could come back once Bonnie is able to be on her own without help.

On top of everything else, the trailer they live in has a roof that’s ready to cave in. Randy is debating whether or not to fix it, “or do we fix the one next door.” They own a lot next door that has a trailer on it, which they had purchased years before the recession and their recent run of bad luck.

Randy said if they had the materials to fix the roof, “we’d be all set. We have lots of help and lots of tools.”

Neighbor Wayne Fish has been a big help, the couple said. Their family has pitched in whenever they can and provided financial assistance. While Bonnie has been turned down for SSI and Medicaid, she is hoping to receive Social Security. The couple has applied for heating fuel assistance, as they use oil heat.

Local churches have also done what they can to assist. However, Bonnie and Randy are still behind on taxes and bills and need to get their trailer’s roof fixed.

“Like Randy said, if we could just get some wood and shingles we could do it,” said Bonnie. “I don’t really know how we’d benefit the best. I don’t expect people to just hand over the money.”

To help out Bonnie and Randy, call them at 897-4219.