When the Storm Is Not the Worst Thing That Happened

Disaster does not arrive equally. It lands hardest on those who were already carrying the most. And sometimes, it is only the second worst thing to have happened.

For 65-year old Yvonne Hibbert, a sudden stroke dramatically altered her daily reality, instantly affecting her ability to move freely, manage her home, and participate in family life as she always had. To navigate her world and access medical care, she urgently needed a wheelchair, but securing one was far beyond her family’s financial reach.

The stroke itself was not caused by Hurricane Melissa, but the storm compoundingly intensified its consequences. The hurricane inflicted severe structural damage on the family’s home, destroying their roof and leaving them among the many households across affected parishes working through slow, costly repairs.

In the wake of the storm, the family found themselves carrying two heavy, overlapping burdens: rebuilding their shelter while adapting to care for a loved one who suddenly required physical assistance. Resources that might otherwise have been pooled to purchase mobility equipment were necessarily redirected toward basic survival and home repairs. Recognizing this complex intersection of health crisis, disaster damage, and economic strain, the Open Door Jamaica Foundation (ODJF) stepped in to bridge the gap.

A Disability That Is Not Always Seen

There is a common image of disability that is rarely challenged: that it begins at birth, that it is visible, that it defines a person from the start. But disability does not always work that way.

A stroke can arrive without warning. One day a person is mobile and independent; the next, they are not. There is no preparation for it, no slow adjustment — only a sudden and complete reorganisation of daily life. Getting out of bed. Getting to the bathroom. Getting to a doctor. Every movement becomes a negotiation.

For [Name]’s family, the stroke alone would have been enough. But they were not dealing with the stroke alone. They were dealing with a damaged roof over their heads, a household whose structure had been disrupted by the hurricane, and the knowledge that the chickens — the small poultry business that had been part of their livelihood — were gone. Lost in the storm. Another quiet loss that never shows up on any relief register.

This is the reality that disasters create for families like hers: not one problem, but a cluster of them, landing all at once, with no clear order to address them in and very little support to draw on.

The ODJF Responds

When the Open Door Jamaica Foundation (ODJF) learned of the family’s situation, we began to look for a way to help. Working with funding made available through the generosity of WalkGood LA under its Jamaica Hurricane Relief Fund, the ODJF was able to source a wheelchair and arrange for its delivery to Hanover.

The handover was made through the local government representative for the area, who facilitated the delivery directly to the family. It was a practical, community-rooted approach — working through the people who know the parish, who know the families, and who are already trusted in those spaces.

There was no ceremony. No event to highlight the moment. Just a wheelchair finding its way to a woman who needed it, through the hands of people who showed up.

“I would like to extend my sincere gratitude to the Open Door Jamaica Foundation for your generous donation of a wheelchair and care package. Your kindness and compassion have made a meaningful difference in Yvonne Hibbert’s life. The wheelchair will provide greater comfort, mobility, and independence, while the care package is a wonderful expression of love and support. We deeply appreciate your willingness to assist and your commitment to helping members of our community in times of need. Thank you, Open Door Jamaica Foundation, for opening your hearts and lending a helping hand. May God continue to bless your organization, your team, and the work that you do.”
~ Councillor Lennox Fray, Hopewell Division, Hanover

What Mobility Means When You Have Lost It

It is easy to underestimate what a wheelchair represents to someone who has lost the ability to walk. It is not simply a piece of equipment. It is access to the world. It means being able to get to a doctor’s appointment without depending entirely on someone else to carry you. It means being able to move through your own home with some degree of agency. It means being present at the family table, at the yard, in the community, rather than confined to a room and cut off from the rhythms of daily life.

For a woman who had her full mobility only months prior, the absence of a wheelchair is not just an inconvenience but rather a daily reminder of what the stroke took, and of how little support existed to help her rebuild any of it.

A wheelchair does not restore everything. But it restores something essential: the ability to move through life on your own terms, at least in part.

Rebuilding, One Step at a Time

The family in Hanover is still in the process of repairing their home. The roof is not yet fully fixed. The poultry business is gone and will take time to rebuild, but hope remains. These are not small losses or losses that can always be seen. They are the kind that compound quietly and persist long after the storm has passed and the news cycle has moved on.

But within that ongoing difficulty, there is now one less barrier. Yvonne has a wheelchair. She can move. She can access care. She can be present in the life of her household in a way that was not possible before.

That matters. It matters enormously.

Thank You, WalkGood LA

This intervention was made possible by the Jamaica Hurricane Relief Fund of WalkGood LA — an organisation that understood that hurricane relief is not only about rooftops and roads. It is also about the quieter, harder-to-see and sometimes unknown needs of the people who were already most vulnerable when the storm arrived.

The ODJF is grateful for the trust WalkGood LA placed in us to reach into communities like this one, to find the families that relief does not always find, and to show up with something real.

We know there are more families like this one across the affected parishes. We will keep looking for them.

The Open Door Jamaica Foundation is committed to creating pathways for persons with disabilities to access opportunities, platforms, and experiences that celebrate their full humanity. To learn more or to support our work, visit opendoorjamaicafoundation.org.