The Tribune

By AVA TURNQUEST

Tribune Chief Reporter

aturnquest@tribunemedia.net

MIAMI police have raised more than $11,000 for a Bahamian mother who was homeless in Florida as she awaited surgery for her young son.

Bahamian Ebony Edgecombe, 37, and her three children were forced to sleep on a public bus bench after losing the savings meant to support them until her baby Joshua’s surgery in Florida, according to US media reports.

Joshua, 17 months old, suffers from hypospadias, a genital birth defect that affects the opening of the urethra. According to international reports, he is scheduled to have the surgery at Nicklaus Children’s Hospital on May 16.

“Ms Edgecombe and her two oldest sons worked very hard to save up money to come to the US to have the surgery for Joshua,” read a GoFundMe account set up to raise funds for the family.

“The money was supposed to last them until after the recovery, but due to a series of unfortunate events the money was lost and they were kicked out of their motel with nowhere else to go and no money for food.”

The family was found sleeping on a Biscayne Boulevard bus bench by North Miami officer Ryan Michel, who first noticed the family at the start of his midnight patrol on Tuesday.

Mr Michel told The Miami Herald that he stopped to investigate after he spotted the family had not moved by the end of his shift at 7am, and that Ms Edgecombe was holding a baby.

According to the Herald, Ms Edgecombe and her boys travelled to Miami in December 2015. Ms Edgecombe works in Nassau as a housekeeper, according to the Herald report, and her two older boys, Koby and Adrian, are aged 17 and 21.

Ms Edgecombe told the Herald that in addition to donations from friends to cover accommodations, she intended to rely on her credit cards and $3,500 that she saved and kept tucked into her bra. She lost the money however, and her credit cards were quickly maxed out.

Since he met the family on Tuesday, Officer Michel has been working tirelessly to find the family temporary housing that will allow them to stay together.

The GoFundMe page read: “With no shelter or bed space available Miami police officer Ryan Michel gave the family all of the money he had in his wallet. This was enough for a couple more nights at the motel and meals for the family for a couple of days.

“This would have held the family over until they received some money from family back home via Western Union. Two days passed and the Western Union money transfer never came.

“Luckily for the family, Officer Michel did a follow up on his day off,” it continued.

“For the better part of his day off Officer Michel tried tirelessly to find the family shelter, to no avail. Officer Michel reached into his pocket yet again and paid for two more days worth of motel stays and meals.

“Officer Michel’s supervisor told him that he was so very proud and impressed by his actions and Officer Michel replied ‘I know what it’s like not to have anything at all, not even peace of mind’ and ‘this is no way for a mother and her family to spend Mother’s Day’”.

Sergeant Eduardo Perez set up an online GoFundMe account titled “Edgecombe family fund” on May 6, and in less than two days raised $11,079 from 228 donations.