Esai's Story

When Ella first reached out to Wings for Widows in August, she was in the darkest moment of her life. At just 33 years old, the recent widow found herself completely alone in a small town west of Orlando, Florida. Her husband's sudden passing had left her with no income, $3,000 to her name, and a mountain of urgent problems. She didn't know how to drive, had no driver's license, and as an immigrant who had been in the US for only three years, she felt paralyzed by fear about her uncertain future.

The situation was dire. Ella wasn't on the mortgage loan for their home, had no access to her late husband's bank accounts, and had just discovered he had canceled his life insurance. With no job, no family nearby, and no support system, she was facing the very real prospect of losing everything within weeks. During their first conversation, Ella made a comment that deeply concerned her coach, Esai Ferguson—she mentioned "not wanting to be alive anymore."Esai immediately recognized this as one of the most critical cases he had ever handled at Wings for Widows. He knew he couldn't do this alone, so he reached out to Chris Bentley, the Executive Director of Wings for Widows, for guidance. Chris connected him with Florida-based coaches Otto Rivera and Roman Janos, who had contacts with immigration attorneys. This led to finding and receiving crucial guidance from immigration attorney Karla Lammers.

Meanwhile, working quickly, Esai secured VA pension benefits of $948 per month for Ella, although payments wouldn't begin until the end of the year. He helped her obtain a one-time Social Security payment of $255 and, critically, arranged for VA services to cover three months of her mortgage payments. Esai guided Ella through the process of taking over the mortgage loan by providing the necessary documentation.

While Ella couldn't retain the car—it wasn't in her name and required payments she couldn't afford—Esai helped her see this as potentially positive, saving $700 monthly in payments and insurance. Since she didn't have a driver's license, the church she had recently joined stepped in to help her learn to drive.Recognizing that Ella's immigration status was a significant source of stress, Esai ensured she received expert legal guidance. Karla Lammers provided crucial reassurance: because Ella had a valid Social Security number and was a legal resident, she faced no immediate deportation risk. Her citizenship application would follow the five-year rule instead of the three-year rule for married people.

Esai reduced Ella's fixed living expenses to approximately $1,600 per month, but she still needed employment to supplement her income. Ella speaks five languages, so they focused on work-from-home listings for translation services. He and Otto continued researching opportunities while encouraging Ella to visit career services and accept any available work.

By September's end, Ella had found her footing. She secured consultations with three different lawyers, joined a supportive church community, and was actively pursuing employment. In her heartfelt thank-you message to Esai, she wrote about how he had "set her at ease at the hardest time of my life."

Esai said, "Going from someone who didn't want to be alive anymore to someone with hope and a plan, that's what Wings for Widows is all about. Giving people an opportunity to turn things around at no cost to them. It's an amazing organization and I'm glad to be part of it."