Joshua woman finds helping others eases her pain after an accident left her paralyzed

It was a Sunday school morning at Joshua Baptist Church in Cleburne. Christy Schwartz was a runner, and volunteered to help get kids on the church bus when it stopped to pick them up outside their homes.

That October 2006 morning she was walking across the street to the bus when a car swerved around it going 50 mph, hitting her, she said.

She was in a coma for a month and a half and paralyzed from the neck down.

“I can do pretty much nothing except for watching TV,” Schwartz said. “And I suffer from a lot of pain.”

She had wanted to stay with her husband, Kenneth, that day. He had suffered a massive heart attack six days earlier but told her not to let his condition stop her from serving her faith.

“He wishes that he would have told me to stay home with him that morning,” Schwartz said. “But I guess God had other plans for me.”

This past January, Schwartz, 48, of Joshua, was browsing social media and noticed all the free items families were giving away. She came up with the idea to pair these families with others in need. From there, she started Christy Cares DFW and Beyond to cope with the pain she has felt for the last 16 years.

The program helps match people who are giving away furniture and baby products with families who need them, she said.

Schwartz does it all from her phone. She has little movement in her left hand, but uses voice-to-text, and sometimes presses her tongue to the keypad, to match families.

When Schwartz sees something online, she contacts the family to gather information. She will post it on her Facebook page or contact another family directly. She said she has a long list of families she goes through every day.

Aaliyah Alvarado recently moved to Fort Worth to get away from an abusive relationship. She spent $200 on a sofa that had bed bugs and needed a new one.

Schwartz found Alvarado not only a sofa but also appliances like a stove, dishwasher and microwave, Alvarado said.

Alvarado said some of the items were picked up just down the road from where she now lives.

“Luckily, she found one, even though it was a smaller sofa, but the sofa and it came with a little side table as well,” Alvarado said. “And it was in mint condition. Almost new, actually.”

Samantha García of Fort Worth found toys, a TV and kitchenware through Schwartz’s program. She is also in the process of finding furniture.

García said she and her six kids have been sleeping on air mattresses.

“She’s in the process of trying to find me beds,” García said. “I just moved into my apartment.”

Alvarado said she admires Schwartz for working the charity.

“It just shows her type of character, that she’s obviously a very, a very loving and caring person,” Alvarado said. “Although she can’t do much. I mean, physically.”

Schwartz is someone people can count on, Alvarado said.

“She doesn’t realize the impact that she’s really making on other people’s lives as well,” Alvarado said.

How to help

Those who want to donate items can go to Christy Cares DFW and Beyond Facebook page and post what items they are giving away. Families can also direct message Schwartz to tell her what they have or ask about specific items to be on the lookout for.

Schwartz said she doesn’t have a GoFundMe page up but she would like to start one, she said.

This story was originally published August 4, 2022 at 5:00 AM.