COVID was the latest battle for this mother of 3, who is asking Goodfellows for help

Tamara has battled a lot in her 35 years on this earth — brain surgery, an aneurysm, kidney cancer, and through it all she is raising three children, boys ages 16 and 7 and a girl, 5.

“Straight A students, AP honors courses, student of the month, all around they are great,” she said. “So I guess I’m doing OK.”

Still, COVID hit our nation. In fact, it latched onto her, and though she was one of the fortunate ones who survived, it left its impact.

“Some days I can’t even remember if I was awake. I had to stay in a room by myself 10 days, my kids on the outside of the door, confused why I wouldn’t come play,” she recalled.

With no job, bills are piling up, her car has been repossessed, phone turned off. She holds together in front of her children, but inside she is terrified.

The Goodfellows Fund can help with food — lots of it. The Star-Telegram charity has been helping families like hers during the holidays for more than a century.

This year the fund, working with the Tarrant Area Food Bank and Albertson’s/Tom Thumb, provided approximately 5,000 holiday meals to Tarrant County families.

“My kids don’t deserve to see just how defeated I am. But without an angel and a Christmas miracle that’s what they will get,” Tamara said. “Those words are hard to write but they were even harder to admit.

“As a nation we have to come together and lift each other up, because this feeling of sadness, worry, defeat, is hard to take on alone.”

Be a Goodfellow

Since 1912, the Star-Telegram’s Goodfellow Fund has provided help and assistance for Tarrant County schoolchildren. This season because of the COVID-19 protocols, the charity provided families a holiday meal. Join this tradition by sending a contribution to Goodfellows, Box 1870, Fort Worth, TX 76101, or visit goodfellowfundfw.com to make a secure credit card donation.