| Ferdinand was welcomed home on April 29th, 2010!
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 Ferdinand Espadron’s mobile home was destroyed by Hurricane Katrina in 2005 and he lost all he had owned. He fled the storm with his granddaughter Yasha and went to Texas where they stayed with her in-laws. When they returned to St. Bernard Parish, Ferdinand, who is 72 and disabled, was given a FEMA trailer and now lives in an apartment.
When he lost his trailer, he also lost the home where he had raised his handicapped son, Lionel, who had been his constant companion since he was struck by a car at age eight. After the accident Lionel was in a coma for nine months. Ferdinand, who had been divorced since the boy was two, became his caretaker. He says his mama and all the family prayed and prayed for Lionel to wake up. And when he did at last, he could speak but was unable to walk or eat. The hospital was good to them, Ferdinand says. They let him sleep in Lionel’s room and when there was an empty bed they let him use it. Otherwise he slept in a chair or on the floor.
When Ferdinand was allowed to bring Lionel home to the trailer, he and his mama taught the boy how to drink through a straw and then helped him relearn how to eat. First Lionel learned to chew bubble gum and then he learned to swallow soup. Lionel later refused to eat soup ever again saying, “Soup is for sick people. I’m not sick, just a cripple.” Ferdinand became Lionel’s caretaker and although Lionel was confined to a wheelchair, they did everything and went everywhere together. Ferdinand’s mama, who had been such a big help to them, died when she was 92. Ferdinand was desolate when Lionel died at age 47. And then he lost his home.
Thanks to Yasha, who gave him her house, Ferdinand will soon have a new home in Violet. St. Bernard Project volunteers are working on it now. When it’s done, there will be room for Ferdinand’s many grandchildren and great grandchildren to visit and play in the yard. He enjoys cooking and looks forward to making red beans, chicken, okra, and gumbo. He says, “I’m going to be there for a long time—till the Lord is ready for me.”
| 7/3/09
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| Kirk and Robbie from Louisiana hung drywall and applied the first coat of mud in Mr. Espadron's house last week. They found the work to be very rewarding and have hopes of returning soon. The next week, volunteers from Crossroads UMC in Huntington, WV and Suncrest UMC in Morgantown, WV completed the first two coats of mud and began the third in Ferdinand's home. The group was touched by the amount devastation left in the area after four years. They enjoyed learning to mud and sand and were amazed at how much progress they made during the week. |
| 5/29/09
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Under Construction
Some of our homes currently under Construction
Barbara Williams, New Orleans, LA
Brenda Dupre-Williams, Lower 9th
Chana King, Violet, LA
Clarence and Diane Victorian, New Orleans East, LA
Cologero Caillouet, Chalmette, LA
Darren Anderson, Violet, LA
Darryn Carreras, Chalmette, LA
Darrell Betha, Mereaux, LA
David Lagrange, Arabi, LA
David Melerine, St Bernard, LA
Deborah Vita, Violet, LA
Debra Brown, Gentilly, LA
Delia Doty, Chalmette, LA
Donald & Tonya Topey, Violet, LA
Donnell Barthelemy, Violet, LA
Donnie Panarello, Chalmette, LA
Evelyn Solis, Chalmette, LA
Gerry Bierria, New Orleans, LA
Glenda Ceaser, Violet, LA
Jennifer Lanier, Violet, LA
Joycelyn and Lawrence Stokes, St. Bernard, LA
Joyce Guient, New Orleans, LA
Juan Toledo, Arabi, LA
Keith Florane, Chalmette, LA
Kenneth Burrell, Arabi, LA
Kenneth Dorsey, Lower 9th
Kwame & Dominique Adansi-Bona, Gentilly, LA
Mathilda & August Miller, Chalmette, LA
Mona Lisa Payne, New Orleans, LA
Ralph Dipadova, Chalmette, LA
Rebecca Holmes, St. Bernard, LA
Regina Beal, Violet, LA
Rhonda Krantz, St. Bernard, LA
Ricky Diecidue, Meraux, LA
Robert & Amy Barlow, Meraux, LA
Roosevelt Houston, Lower 9th
Sabrina Pacaccio, Violet, LA
Shane & Tina Meshell, Meraux, LA
Sharen Williams, Arabi, LA
Theresa McLuckey, Chalmette, LA
Vanessa Havers, St. Bernard, LA
Velma Lewis, New Orleans, LA
Willie Major, Violet, LA
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