She survived Hurricane Katrina, Hurricane Harvey and breast cancer. Now a Houston woman is fighting a new battle. And the KPRC 2 Spencer Solves It team isn’t letting her fight it alone.
Bill Spencer and Bill’s Brigade worked a holiday miracle.
At 59 years old, Annette Ryskala is what you’d call a survivor. In August 2005, she lost her home to Hurricane Katrina. In 2017, she was devastated by Hurricane Harvey. Along the way, she fought and won a difficult battle with breast cancer.
For a time, after losing her job, Annette lived on the street, completely homeless.
“I was in my car for four months,” she said.
Then, Annette’s worst fear ,of becoming homeless once again, looked like a possibility. After losing her job as a delivery driver in June, she faced eviction and a growing list of bills she just couldn’t pay. That’s when she wrote to Spencer Solves It.
The team connected Annette with Randy Hartley, one of Bill’s Brigades most generous benefactors who helped the team on over 20 different projects. Hartley offered to pay her rent for a few months and pay for $2,000 towards her mountain of medical bills.
“She wants to work and she’s worked her whole life,” Hartley said. “I know she’ll get a job. I know that’s going to happen so I just want to get her through this tough time."
Anette is working diligently to find a new job. She’s worked several times as a shuttle driver at an airport and is looking for that type of work right now. If you’d like to help her, email solvesit@kprc.com