TOLEDO, OH (Toledo News Now) -
An east Toledo family is breathing a sigh of relief on Saturday after a plumber, T & J Rooter Service, came out to help with much needed repairs.
T & J was the first of many plumbers who volunteered to help the family.
The family says they have been living in a home with plumbing so bad their floors were soaked in urine and sewage.
One of the women living at the home has cancer.
On Friday, Toledo News Now visited the family.
One of the first things you notice when you stepped inside the house was the stench. The floors were completely soaked in urine.
"This is clay, feces, urine water. It's all here. We can't live like this," said Heather Sass. "We actually use this bucket to use the bathroom. Without it we can't use the bathroom."
Heather moved in with her mother Debbie, who was diagnosed with both breast cancer and lymph node cancer in the span of two years.
"I used to be a strong person. I don't know what strong is anymore," said Debbie Jo Carlo.
Debbie says she says she can't fight the battle for her life and her home at the same time.
"I am at my lowest to beg to beg people to help so that my children can have proper pluming, proper showers, proper toilet. They don't have to run down the street to use the bathroom. Do you know how that feels?" said Carlo. "I'm not asking for no money. I don't want money. I'm asking for a volunteer plumber who is willing to help a family that really desperately needs them. If they could just take that little bit of time."
Sass has started a Go Fund Me fundraiser to try to help her mother fix her home. To donate, go to:http://www.gofundme.com/7snvcc.
As of 5 PM on Saturday, the family has received more than $800 in new donations since this story aired on Friday.
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Debbie Jo Carlo
