WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — With the holidays approaching, many families are feeling financial strain — but for families juggling medical crises and caring for young children, the pressure can be overwhelming.
A West Palm Beach grandmother says she is now facing eviction from the home she shares with her grandchildren after a terminal medical diagnosis left her unable to work.
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Ramona Longwell said the past year has been one of the most difficult of her life.
“It’s heartbreaking, it’s terrible. Who wants to live like that?” Longwell said.
“It’s just not as comfortable living how we’re used to,” she added.
Inside her home, children’s artwork covers the refrigerator, and a Christmas tree sits in the living room — reminders of the season Longwell says has been far from festive.
“I had blacked out and I went to the emergency room and that’s when they told me I was terminally ill,” Longwell said.
Longwell has battled cervical cancer since her 20s, but doctors told her last year that the disease had progressed to stage five.
“I never thought it would be terminal, honestly. I had basically put it in the back of my mind until I had gotten sick and fallen out. I didn’t think that’s what it was going to be, but I’ve accepted it,” she said.
Doctors have given her until June 2026 to live. Now the sole caregiver for her four grandchildren, Longwell said she had to stop working and is running out of both money and time.
“I had a little bit of savings — that’s what we have been going on. That’s gone down. My son is doing his best to help and that’s it,” she said.
A National Institutes of Health study examining the financial toll of major illnesses on near-elderly Americans found many are “one illness away from financial catastrophe,” often facing bankruptcy, loss of income, or homelessness due to medical bills.
Derrick Dorsett, who connected with Longwell through the Nextdoor app, runs a local nonprofit and recently helped secure a donated stove for her from Lowe’s. He said keeping Longwell in her home is his priority.
“We don’t want her to be at that stage where she has to be moved out and displaced, and it’s just a whole mess. She’s already dealing with her own priorities,” Dorsett said.
Longwell said she is expected to receive Social Security benefits, but the payments could take months to begin, time she fears she doesn’t have. For now, she’s hoping for stability and a holiday season that feels a little less heavy for her family.
“Just to have a good Christmas and not have to worry about paying the rent again until my check comes in,” she said.
A GOFUNDME Page has been set up to help Longwell this holiday season.
