While the world grappled with how to stay safe during the pandemic, Autum Moyer also had to account for another medical situation: her 14-year-old daughter’s cancer diagnosis. Facing financial struggles and helping take care of her father who also had cancer, she turned to the Give A Christmas program to help get gifts for her daughter as well as her two sons.
More: 2021 Give A Christmas program will help families in need during second pandemic holidays
“You don’t think you’re impacted that much by little things, and (then) they become big things,” said Moyer, a Burlington City resident. “And then your whole life is upside down.”
“But all you can do is take it one day at a time,” she said. “Be thankful for what you do have.”
While the world grappled with how to stay safe during the pandemic, Autum Moyer also had to account for another medical situation: her 14-year-old daughter’s cancer diagnosis. Facing financial struggles and helping take care of her father who also had cancer, she turned to the Give A Christmas program to help get gifts for her daughter as well as her two sons.
More: 2021 Give A Christmas program will help families in need during second pandemic holidays
“You don’t think you’re impacted that much by little things, and (then) they become big things,” said Moyer, a Burlington City resident. “And then your whole life is upside down.”
“But all you can do is take it one day at a time,” she said. “Be thankful for what you do have.”
Moyer’s daughter, Maria, who was diagnosed with stage 3 Hodgkin’s lymphoma, is now cancer-free.
Her father, though, died of lung cancer in July of this year.
“Thank God my father was able to witness her defeat it before he passed away,” said Moyer.
More: Give A Christmas helped family welcome adopted son, buy gifts despite hardships in 2020
For Moyer, the holiday season is always a financial struggle. Maria’s, one of her son’s, and her father’s birthdays all fall within six weeks of Christmas. Last year, out of her job due to the pandemic and without the additional income from her father, a relative suggested she apply to the Give A Christmas program for assistance.
With money from the program, she was able to fulfill her sons’ requests for LEGO sets and digital add-ons for the video games Fortnite and Roblox.
Her daughter asked for cosplay makeup and ingredients to make her own slime.
Slime is a substance made from household products like glue, detergent and baking soda. As a non-Newtonian substance, it behaves like either a solid or a liquid depending on how one plays with it. A classic science project for teaching kids about viscosity and chemical reactions, slime is also one of today’s most popular toys.
Experts: Start holiday shopping early this year if your kids want these hot toys
“She didn’t want already made slime,” said Moyer. “She just made her own.”
While going through chemotherapy, Moyer’s brother helped Maria set up a small entrepreneurial endeavor called “Pawsome Slime,” named after her daughter’s love for animals.
Moyer described it as “almost like a lemonade stand but with slime.”
“The first day (Maria) did it, she did amazing,” she said.
More: A step-by-step guide to applying for the Give A Christmas program
To those thinking of applying to the Give A Christmas program, Moyer said not to be afraid of judgment.
“Don’t be embarrassed,” she said. “We all need help sometimes.
“If you can, next year — you’re not in a bind or problem — pay it forward,” she said.
About the Give A Christmas program:
The Burlington County Times’ annual Give A Christmas program helps struggling Burlington County families celebrate the holidays by providing them with gift cards to purchase presents.
With the help of the Times’ partner organization, NJ 211 — a nonprofit that connects people with community resources that provide living necessities — applying for assistance is easier than ever.
Burlington County residents who require assistance can text GAC to 898211 to check their eligibility. Eligibility is based on income and recipients may include, but are not limited to, parents with sick children, single family households, people struggling with addiction and people who are unemployed.
Applications for assistance will be accepted through Nov. 21. There is no deadline for donations.
Anyone interested in donating can do so at www.burlingtoncountytimes.com/giveachristmas.
For questions about the Give A Christmas program, contact Executive Editor Audrey Harvin at aharvin@gannett.com.
Aedy Miller covers education and the economy for the Burlington County Times, Courier-Post, and The Daily Journal. They are a multimedia journalist from Central Jersey and a recent graduate of the George Washington University.
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