Jimmy and Marilyn Curcuru have lived in their house in the Portuguese Hill area of Gloucester, Massachusetts for more than 50 years. They raised their three children there, and previously owned a small business in the community.
But in late July, the couple received an anonymous note, purportedly from a neighbor, in their mailbox. “Please paint me!” the note said, calling their house an “eyesore.”
Jimmy, 71, said he was “very upset at first,” not because of what the letter said, but that whoever wrote the note “didn’t have the nerve to sign it.”
He said they knew their house had fallen into disrepair, but various health issues had recently prevented him and his wife from doing large home improvements.
He said, “It was cowardly of them to write a letter like that.”
Jimmy has had a heart attack and quadruple bypass surgery. Marilyn, who’s 72, was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis several decades ago and has been bedridden for four years.
Their daughter Baran posted the note on Facebook, the response and outpouring of support for her family was swift.
The very next day, people were offering to paint the house for her. The mayor of Gloucester even stopped by to ask how she could help. Within the next few days, a neighbor started a GoFundMe page for the family.
As of last week the GoFundMe page had raised more than $45,000 from over 700 donors from across the globe.