Young philanthropist helps struggling ‘Mama’ make it through each day
Published:Tuesday | December 19, 2023 | 12:06 AMAshley Anguin/Gleaner Writer
OVERWHELMED WITH emotions, 84-year-old Beryl Little burst uncontrollably into tears as she told The Gleaner of her deplorable living conditions she must currently endure, for which she is desperately pleading for help.
A widow with no children and the only surviving offspring of her parents’ four children, Little resides in the cool hills of Chester Castle in Hanover.
Currently, living in a one-bedroom dwelling, the little old lady showers in an open space of her backyard with little to no privacy in a makeshift shower made out of zinc. Suffering from blindness owing to glaucoma in her left eye and a cataract in her right eye, she is finding it very difficult to take care of herself.
Struggling to hear because of being partially deaf, a tearful Little told The Gleaner that her living conditions are unbearable.
“The wood at the side of my house is rotten, so I have to use a piece of zinc and cover the hole that the bush rats come through. Sometimes when I am sleeping, I would feel them grab my finger, so I wake up and fight them off. There was an incident where my house break down, almost killing me that morning. When I wake up, I see the dust coming down and mi grab mi pocketbook and run down the road. I ran into a church brother of mine and told him what happened. He helped me to stay with a church sister. It was a fireman who helped to hurry up and build this house. You see the little toilet in the back, mi sleep in it with the little things you see I have in the house. Oh Lord, too much, I can’t tell you it sounds so bad,” Little said as she broke down.
She added, “Around the pit toilet that I have, the bush grows up high and covers my feet when I am using it and because of this I am not able to lift them. Sometimes when I use it, I fall down and I have no one to help me. I have to stay there and fight hard until I can get up on my own.”
Inside the house, a used half roll of toilet paper is used in a desperate effort as a door handle. A rusty stove with one functional burner is used to make her favourite drink, coffee and cook her meals. Her damaged dining table is propped up on the wall in the corner in an effort for it not to fall.
CAN’T MANAGE ALONE
“A bus hit me down one Saturday morning when I was coming from the shop with my chicken back. It mash up my two knees and I had to go to the clinic down the road for treatment until they heal. People say ‘Miss Little don’t go out there anymore because car a go kill you,’ so I don’t go anywhere. God never blessed me with any children. I wanted to have it but I couldn’t have any. I went to the doctor twice and he took one day to see that I could not have any. I was married but my husband passed away in 2015,” said Little.
Owing to her disability, she can no longer attend church where she was a member. She stated that members of the church have not visited her except for the pastor who paid her one visit some time ago.
“Last Christmas was very bad for me. I was very hungry, I didn’t have any food to eat. Sometimes the lady at the shop assists me. I need somebody to stay around me and talk to me, someone to go out and buy something for me when I give them the money because I can’t manage,” she added.
LIKE FAMILY
Speaking with The Gleaner, 23-year-old Cristiana Gordon, who engages in philanthropy in the community, said Little has been like family since they met a month ago.
“I met her when I saw her coming out of a vehicle with a walking stick on a Saturday afternoon. I wondered if this lady needed help. When I asked people around, they said she lives alone and needs help, so I used some money I had on me, bought her some goods and handed it to her. From that day, Miss Little is now ‘Mama’ to me. It is a lot of work, as simple as it seems. If I am cooking breakfast and lunch, I will climb the hill and take it to her. If I can’t, I will pay her nephew who rides a bike to bring it to her or anyone else,” Gordon said.
Despite all the challenges, Little sang praises to God and took the time to express her appreciation of Gordon assisting her.
“She is like a mother and a sister to me. She combs my hair, cooks for me, bathes me and treats me well. She is a blessed girl and I thank her. She is the one that makes you ( The Gleaner), come here and come talk to me,” Little said.
In the meantime, Gordon said, “I take Sundays for myself but will split the entire week to try and assist Mama. I think I missed two days not visiting her and when I came the next day, she told me she feels low. Thinking to myself, I believe the fact that she is clinging to me, she feels genuine love and she is afraid of losing me. She understands that I have my things to do but I still try to do what I can for her. With the mother that I had, I learned a lot of things from her and I knew who she wanted to be so that inspired me to do this.”
If you want to help Beryl Little, you can contact her at 876-336-6847.