Molly was born eleven years ago to loving parents Ted and Fran. She was welcomed into the world and nurtured with much love from her parents and their faith community.
Ted and Fran met in college, fell in love, and were married. They were raised to be responsible, self-reliant, and supportive of their friends and family. After graduation, they both secured good jobs. Ted became a software engineer while Fran became a sales rep for a large corporation due to her love of social interaction.
By their late twenties, both were very successful in their chosen professions. Ted managed a new project development team, and Fran was a district sales manager. They managed their finances well and decided now was the time to start the family they both wanted. They invested most of their savings in a lovely home near the faith community they joined shortly after graduation. As they settled into their new home, Fran became pregnant.
Fran took time off work for Molly’s birth but could not bring herself to put Molly in daycare and return to her job. Ted was making good money, and their investments were growing, so they decided Fran should stay home, raise Molly, and volunteer her time where she saw a need. Fran decided to devote her free time to their faith community, and Ted helped whenever he could.
Molly grew surrounded by a loving family and friends. Fran expanded her volunteer efforts to include the school community. This small family greeted everyone with warm smiles. As Molly grew, she developed childhood Asthma. She endured a couple of emergency room visits, but eventually, medicine controlled her Asthma, and she carried an inhaler if needed.
Several years previously, Ted’s company moved their production outside the country in search of lower costs. Now they decided to move their product development as well. After over ten years of employment, Ted received a generous separation package, and he felt confident he would get picked up by another company. Months passed until Ted finally found employment with a home improvement company. This new job was considered part-time and had no benefits.
He lost his medical benefits with his previous job loss, and they found they could get no medical coverage for Molly because of her preexisting condition. Now they could neither afford her medication nor trips to the emergency room. They found stress would bring on an attack, but they could get Molly through it by holding her and encouraging her to calm her breathing.
They could no longer make their mortgage payments, but no offer would even pay off their mortgage when they attempted to sell their home. Their investments had lost half their value, but they became debt-free after selling their home and all the remaining assets. They moved into a two-bedroom apartment in a rundown complex, and Ted took a second job cleaning offices at night.
They continued weekly worship with their faith community, but they had pulled back from all volunteer activities, and their friends and neighbors were no longer greeted with warm smiles but three stoic faces. Many noted the drastic change and wondered what could be done. They decided to pray for them.
Last night like many others, Ted was at his second job. Truth be known, he liked this job. For a few hours, he could concentrate on the labor of cleaning an office and not face his failures reflected in the rundown apartment and all he could no longer afford to give his loving wife and child.
After putting Molly to bed and reading her to sleep, Fran decided to escape this dreary existence and go down the street to a local bar for some social interaction. She did not do this often, but occasionally, she needed reassurance of her worth. She told herself that Molly would be fine. After all, she was almost twelve; she was always self-reliant and healthy except for her Asthma. Even the Asthma attacks had abated recently.
Shortly after Fran left, Molly woke with a start. An Asthma attack was starting, and she wanted her parents. The apartment was dark and cold, and Molly knew it was because they could not afford the cost of heating at night. She cried out for her parents, but no one came.
Molly died alone in the cold and dark, gasping for air.