52 Lives

#492 Wendy

Request: Donations / Gifts / Kind messages

This week, we’d like to help a woman called Wendy, who has been left with permanent injuries from her ex-husband.

He abused her in horrific ways and is facing multiple criminal charges for physical and sexual assault. She lost all feeling in one of her hands, after he severed nerves in her arm. She also has severe PTSD, anxiety and depression, which she manages on top of a blood disorder, a collapsed lung and chronic migraines.

Wendy has three primary school-age children, who witnessed a lot what happened and had to be interviewed by the police. 

When they all fled, they left with nothing but the clothes they were wearing. They have been allocated a council house but it is completely empty. There are no beds, no cooker, no fridge, no washing machine, no furniture - nothing at all.

Despite everything, Wendy has never asked for help herself. It was her social worker who reached out , knowing how much she’s been through.

The headteacher at her children’s school said: ‘We’ve seen the huge impact the trauma has had on them — particularly the older two, who understood what was happening. Their mum has shown so much strength, and this family would absolutely benefit from some kindness and support.”

We’d love to help turn this empty house into a real home.

*Name has been changed

What We Need

1. Donations: We'll use 100% your donations to buy items they need. You can donate online or by text using the details below.

2. Gifts from a wishlist: We've set up an Amazon wishlist for the family - to buy something from the list, just add it to your basket and choose the 'gift registry address' when you check out. 

3. Kind Messages: To send a kind message for Wendy, please just write a message in the form below (your contact details won't be passed on), or you can post a message to: 52 Lives, Life # 492, PO Box 3154, Reading, RG1 9AT.

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What We Did

With your donations, we carpeted the house, bought beds and mattresses for the children, a washing machine, a cooker, and filled their home with lots of essentials from their wishlist. You also sent Wendy lots of encouraging messages.

Wendy was so selfless that when we realised we didn’t quite have enough funds for everything, she insisted we prioritise the children. She told us she would sleep on the floor so they could have proper beds. But thanks to our amazing community of monthly direct debit donors, we were able to top up the funds and buy a bed for Wendy too, and carpet all of the rooms in the house instead of just a few (and the carpet company carpeted one room for free as well).

None of this would have been possible without your support. Thank you for helping to give them a proper home.

This is an email we received from Wendy: "I just want to say thank you - truly, from the bottom of my heart - for everything you have done for me and my children. I honestly still can’t believe it. I’m completely overwhelmed by the kindness, support, and generosity that we’ve received. It feels like we’ve been given a new lease on life, and for the first time in a long time, I believe we can start to rebuild and move forward. I know none of this would have been possible without you and all the incredible people who have supported and donated to my family. This has been the most difficult time in my life. There were moments when I truly felt lost, like there was no way out — no light ahead. But your kindness has restored my faith in people and in the future. You've opened my eyes to the possibility of a new beginning, and for that, I will be forever grateful."