MEMPHIS, Tenn. — By all accounts, this week’s Pass It On recipient Latoya is a hard worker.
“I own a home health care agency and Latoya is one of my best employees,” said playmaker Monica Weston. “No matter what she’s going through, she gives it 110 percent.”
But life hasn’t been so easy for her over the past few months.
“Latoya has been employed with me maybe since the early part of December. It was then that I found out that her husband had passed away and then Christmas Day her son was diagnosed with cancer,” Weston explained. “It’s been pretty rough, so we’ve been in constant communication. She really can’t work a lot of hours because she’s back and forth at St. Jude.”
But that’s not all.
“When we had the winter storm a few weeks ago her neighbor’s apartment pipes burst. And then it caused her apartment to flood while they were away at St. Jude,” said Monica.
Latoya and her family had to get a hotel room and then learned they were facing eviction.
After all of that, it’s easy to understand why Latoya was emotional when given $300 from News Channel 3 and $700 from our anonymous donors.
“It’s just been so hard. I’m a single mom with two kids and I hate for them to see me stressed out and worried because I don’t want them to worry,” she said. “You know because they’re kids and I just want them to be kids and leave life and the bills up to me and I’ll try to make it work but it’s just been so hard.”
Despite all of it, she said she won’t give up and the surprise cash was just the encouragement she needed.
