ERICA THOMAS

A little boost and this ‘blessed’ family could soar

By Anne Rodgers
Palm Beach Post Staff Writer

Erica Thomas is due at work by 9 on the dot. Her commute to west Delray Beach requires three buses and at least two hours, so Monday through Friday, she’s up at 5:30 a.m.
A 1989 Oldsmobile gathers dust in the driveway; its insurance is out of reach for this energetic and optimistic mother of two.
“Every day I walk by it and say, ‘I’ll be drivin’ you soon,’ ” she laughs.
Erica laughs a lot. Instead of focusing on 8-year-old Quinten’s enlarged heart, she gives thanks for Florida KidCare, the state insurance program that covered his Nov. 6 surgery.
Instead of bemoaning her one-bedroom apartment in a run-down neighborhood, she concentrates on the money she’s saving and dreams of the day she can give Quinten and 14-year-old Lateema the joy of decorating their own rooms.
Instead of dwelling on her diabetes or migraines, she praises her employers (internists who hired her as a medical assistant two years ago) and The Lord’s Place, which took her in when she wound up homeless, after making the wrenching decision to spend her rent money on funeral expenses for her mother.
“I was so stuck on my pride, but I finally made an appointment,” she said. “I got tired of going to the trunk to find clothes for my children and trying to find a place to sleep every night.”
Even so, when she pulled into the center’s parking lot, she cried.
“I didn’t want to be in a shelter. I’d never been in a situation where I couldn’t help myself or my kids. I didn’t want to depend on someone.”
But having nursed her mom for five years before her death in 2006, Erica was feeling fragile.
“The Lord’s Place helped me realize that everyone has struggles,” she said. “They helped me regroup and showed me the positive things in life. I’ve learned to not complain; instead I stop, pray, trust and just wait.”
Erica receives no help from Lateema’s father, a no show at a recent compliance hearing. Quinten’s dad left before he was born, returning to Nassau in the Bahamas, and Erica hasn’t heard from him since.
“I can’t stop being a mother just because they don’t want to be a daddy,” she said. “I’m blessed with two wonderful kids. They don’t have very many things, so they’re grateful. I’m not bragging, but you can put them in a crowd and they’re gonna make friends. People tend to get attached to them.”
That’s easy to believe. Lateema, a bright, happy girl, willingly gives up her after-school activities to watch her brother. And Quinten, always in motion, seems fully recovered, though Erica knows more heart surgery is ahead.
Meanwhile, the family waits patiently for things to get better. And Erica accepts her grueling commute as a necessary sacrifice.
“I love my job; I love helping people,” she said. “I’m good at what I do because it’s coming from the heart.”

ERICA THOMAS’ WISH

$200 a month for car insurance; $700 a month for Erica’s health insurance and medications. A computer for the kids with Hooked on Phonics and other educational programs. Gift cards for clothing for Quinten and Lateema or for family outings.

Nominated by The Lord’s Place, 2808 N. Australian Ave., West Palm Beach, FL 33407 (561) 494-0125

UPDATE

Donations from Season to Share have already made a huge difference in the life of single mother Erica Thomas and her two children. Perhaps the biggest blessing is the money to pay for six months of car insurance, which will give Erica back the four hours a day she spends on buses getting to and from work.

“I am bursting with joy,” said Erica, who was nominated by The Lord’s Place. “I’ll be able to get up and fix breakfast for the kids now and personally pick up Quinten, (who’s eight), from after-care. I’m very grateful - from the bottom of my heart.”

Until now, 14-year-old Lateema has been walking her brother home, giving up after-school activities to help her mom out. But a recent visit found Lateema giddy with excitement over two new pairs of athletic shoes.

“I’m going to run track,” she enthused. “I’m so excited.”

Meanwhile, Quinten, who’s recovering from surgery on his enlarged heart, was hugging everyone in sight, grinning ear-to-ear over the new toys scattered in the tiny living room.

His mother said he’d recently developed a bad ear infection, “but ain’t nothing stopping his show,” she laughed.

Season to Share donors have also made it possible for Erica to pay for her diabetes supplies for the next six months, an expense that had become too much for her. The family lives in a one-bedroom apartment while Erica attempts to save money for a more suitable home.

Erica, who works at a doctor’s office in Delray Beach, said many of her patients have also helped out. As usual for this young mother, she was thinking of how to give back.

“Now that I’ll be driving, I can go visit two of my patients who are sick,” she said. “They’ve been so good to me.”