Meals on Wheels

Arlington resident, 72-year-old Donna, receives weekly frozen meal deliveries from Meals On Wheels of Tarrant County thanks to CDBG grant funding from the City of Arlington.  Due to cancer treatments, Donna receives weekly deliveries of frozen meals. This meal option is offered as an alternative to the daily hot meal delivery provided to most Meals On Wheels clients and is designed to offer flexibility for those with regularly scheduled dialysis and other medical treatments that prevent them from being at home around noontime for a hot meal delivery. 

After being diagnosed with brain cancer five years ago, Donna received radiation treatment for 11 masses in her brain. After she completed the treatment, Donna thought she was on the road to recovery. Unfortunately, her cancer returned with a vengeance. She now has end-stage lung cancer that has spread throughout her body, especially to her kidneys. She also suffers from diabetes and neuropathy in her legs and feet, which make it extremely difficult for her to walk. Donna reports that she has fallen four times in the last two weeks and has broken her back two different times with previous falls. All of this has left Donna extremely weak and unable to cook for herself, so she is thankful to the City of Arlington for providing funding for her meals.

In addition to her health challenges, Donna struggles to pay for her basic needs. She pays $990 for rent on her small apartment and her electric bill is usually around $200. Just those two expenses eat up her entire Social Security check of $1,200 per month. She receives Medicaid benefits, which help provide medical treatment, but she is unable to pay the co-payments for her doctor visits. Donna worries that her doctors will stop treating her since she is unable to pay the co-payments. Sadly, there’s nothing left for toiletries, food, and other necessities.

Despite these challenges and the realization that she doesn’t have long to live, Donna has an amazingly positive attitude and a great sense of humor that is immediately apparent to anyone who takes the time to talk to her.  She attributes her positive attitude as the reason she has been able to get through so many difficulties over the past five years. She is determined not to let cancer define her story.

Donna said that she doesn’t know what she would do without the healthy meals she receives from Meals On Wheels. She added that she doesn’t have to worry about how she will eat. Just knowing that she will receive healthy meals allows her to focus her attention on her health and well-being.

Meals On Wheels of Tarrant County is grateful for the generous support provided through CDBG grant funding by the City of Arlington. This support allows us to serve homebound, elderly and disabled clients, just like Donna.