HOUSTON – Diamonique Sloan, her husband, Cordero, and their four small children walk down a lonely road in Southeast Houston. A road just like the one they used to live on when for months, the Sloans actually lived inside their car.
“I slept in the front seat, well my husband slept in the driver’s seat, I slept in the passenger seat and the kids slept in the back … in a sort of pallet-thing we rigged up,” Diamonique Sloan said.
The struggle continues for Diamonique, Cordero, 4-year-old Cordero Jr., 3-year-old Jaylon, 2-year-old Elijah and Lyric, just 4 months old. The Sloans fell on hard times two years ago when Cordero Sr. lost his job after he witnessed his brother, Frederick, accidentally shoot himself to death with a gun he thought was unloaded.
“He shot himself in the head at point blank range. The clip wasn't even on the gun, but there was a bullet in the chamber and he never knew it,” Diamonique Sloan said.
Ever since that deadly accident, she said her husband has struggled to battle PTSD, post-traumatic stress disorder, and has been through six or seven different jobs and unable to stay employed for any real amount of time.
“It’s hard for him to manage a job, not because he doesn’t want to, but when his PTSD kicks in, it puts him in a deep depression mode,” Diamonique Sloan said.
Now, working hard to scrape by and pay a growing list of bills, Diamonique recently graduated from Remington College as a certified medical assistant and is now working in a doctor’s office.
But as far as Christmas goes, the Sloans have absolutely nothing, not even a Christmas tree.
“I feel like I’ve been robbing my kids. Me not being able to give my kids what they wanted. It hurts, it hurts,” Diamonique said as tears streamed down her cheeks.
Diamonique and Cordero Sr. never asked for help. Instead, a good friend of theirs wrote to "Spencer Solves It" on their behalf, telling us the Sloans wouldn’t be enjoying a Christmas with presents this year.
That’s when Spencer enlisted the help of Randy Hartley, an incredibly generous member of Bill’s Brigade, to restore Christmas for this deserving family.
“What really tears me up is the kids, the kids not having Christmas presents. Every kid should have a Christmas present,” Hartley said.
Now, it’s the moment for giving, as Hartley presented Diamonique and Cordero Sr. with two Visa gift cards for a total of $1,000.
A tearful “thank you” is all Diamonique can manage, as she begins to break down.
Cordero Sr., crying more openly, said, “Thank you a lot sir. I really appreciate it. God bless you,” he said.
Finally, after two long years of struggling and worrying, one bright moment for this beautiful, young family.
“They say the Grinch Stole Christmas, but Channel 2, you guys just saved it,” Cordero said.
If you need help with a problem you can’t possibly solve by yourself, contact Spencer Solves It at 713-223-TIPS (8477) or email us at solvesit@click2houston.com.
