Fundraising Effort Underway for Ardsley Woman with Cerebral Palsy

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April 24, 2025

By Rick Pezzullo—

A 55-year-old Ardsley woman with cerebral palsy has partnered with a non-profit organization to raise funds to meet her basic needs and living expenses.

Helene Ferester, who has lived in Ardsley since she was six years old, relies on an electric wheelchair and an accessible van to move around and has at-home caregiving support to assist her with daily tasks.

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However, Ferester, who spent 20 years as a front-end manager at her family’s pharmacy and general store in Yonkers until it closed, has been struggling in many ways since her mother, Doris, who helped her with mobility and home care, died in 2023.

“Receiving help and continuing to be as independent as I can be is a way to honor my mother,” Ferester said. “She spent many years working to ensure that I had as many opportunities and as high a quality of life as possible, and I know she would have liked to see that continue.”

Ferester needs more help at home than insurance will cover. Out-of-pocket caregiving costs are just one entry on a long list of key expenses that she must cover, including electronic lifts to help with transfers out of her wheelchair, unexpected hospitalizations, and repairs for her accessible bathroom.

She started fundraising with the nonprofit Help Hope Live in 2023 an her community has raised more than $4,500 to date.

Help Hope Live is a national nonprofit that specializes in engaging communities in secure, tax-deductible fundraising campaigns for people who need a transplant or are affected by a catastrophic injury or illness. Since 1983, campaigns organized by Help Hope Live have raised over $188 million to pay patient expenses.

Unlike a GoFundMe campaign, donations to Help Hope Live are tax deductible to the extent allowed by law, and all funds raised will be administered by the nonprofit to cover verified medical and related expenses. Help Hope Live verifies medical and financial need for every patient.

To help with Ferester’s ongoing needs, donations can be made at: https://helphopelive.org/campaign/21432/.

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