TOLL GATE, Clarendon – While farmers across Jamaica are hoping for rain, one family in south-west Clarendon is praying with all its might that the showers will stay away for as long as possible.

For if and when the rain does come, 56-year-old Noreen Mitchell-Maxie, her 77-year-old husband Rozelda Maxie and their 14-year-old daughter Trudy-Ann will have to seek refuge from neighbours.

Such is the condition of their two-bedroom board house on Queen Street in Toll Gate, that when it rains, it pours.

“This yah house in a bad condition, massa,” said Noreen. “Everyday mi fret seh it might blow dung wid wi in deh, especially since hurricane season a start next month. When rain fall wi caah stay here. Even if it dew wi get wet. Right now, mi only a beg God fi keep wi safe,” she said.

But a house which gives the frightening impression it could collapse at ay given time, is just one of the many difficulties that the Maxies face on a daily basis. At the root of the family’s plight is the fact that it has no fixed income, as Rozelda, who the Jamaica Observer Central was told has shortness of breath, is now unable to work and Noreen, a domestic worker, does not have a steady job.

With no money, they face great difficulty putting food on the table and are unable to purchase regular supplies of medication for Trudy-Ann, who has sickle cell disease and has not attended school for almost a month.

Trudy-Ann’s older brother, Oshane Maxie, died reportedly from the same illness, four years ago at age 13. “A suffer him suffer and dead,” said Noreen. “Mi couldn’t manage so God tek back one,” she added.

“But, the doctor seh she will be all right as long as shi tek har medication. Shi cyaah tek too much sun though, and she cyaah manage fi get wet in the rain, either.

The only problem is that the medications are very expensive.

“One cost like $3,000 and the other one is for $2,000. And if it wasn’t for Corner Stone Pharmacy mi nuh know what wuda happen to har. If mi nuh have enough money fi get everything dem try to give mi half of each,” she said.

Noreen said because of her daughter’s illness, she needs “a special kind of food”.

“She has to eat a lot of vegetables, but mi caah afford it,” she lamented.

Trudy-Ann, who attends Four Paths Primary and Junior High School, said she wants to become a doctor, but with each passing day that she stays away from school, that dream continues to hang in the balance. “Any help at all, I will take,” Noreen pleaded. “If it’s even to buy her medication or send har to school,” she said.

Despite their many struggles, Noreen has not given up hope of one day making a better life for herself and her family.

“Mi nuh badda worry myself, mi just live and ask God fi help mi,” she said, “because mi nuh want a lot of money, mi just want a likkle work so that mi can buy food, get a nice likkle house and go doctor if wi sick. Mi nuh want nothing much,” she reiterated. “Mi just want a job because mi nuh back from work. Mi love fi work,” she said.

Her neighbours described her as an industrious woman, who dabbles into backyard farming and goat rearing.

“Yuh si if shi did lazy, shi wuda dead long time,” Miss Lida, an elderly neighbour, who often comes to Noreen’s rescue, told the Observer Central. “Mi neva si har an’ shi not working, and sometimes di people dem tek so long fi pay har. Shi even used to raise goat, but bad mind people tief everything,” she said.

Noreen said she recently applied to become a beneficiary of the Programme of Advancement Through Health and Education (PATH). She is now awaiting the inspection visit.

When contacted, the People’s National Party (PNP) councillor for the Toll Gate Division, Godfrey Knight, told the Observer Central that he was aware of the family’s plight, noting that “representation was made for them to get some help”.

“It’s pretty bad. They are really in need of some assistance,” said Knight.