CLIENT STORIES MEET EARNESTINE SYRACUSE, NY Earnestine Williams has called Central New York home for more than two decades. She’s worked at an insurance company based at the Syracuse Community Health Center for the past 18 years. In her role as a manager for their enrollment department, Earnestine helps people sign up for insurance. “I like helping people,” said Williams. “Most of the people I work with are on Medicaid and are low income people who don’t have health insurance. It gives me great joy to help them.” Earnestine, who has been providing for others facing challenges never thought she’d be in a position where she needed help. That changed in 2011 when she was diagnosed with cancer. That same month, her mother had a stroke. The year after that -- her daughter passed away leaving her in a potential custody battle with her grandson’s father. Deiondre, then 12, found his life turned upside down with the death of his mother and his grandmother’s illness. Earnestine, a woman who’d helped so many people in so many ways over the years, found herself in need of help. In addition to her cancer treatment, she had to sort out her grandson’s custody. 10 That’s when an attorney from Hiscock Legal Aid Society connected her to our collaborative Cancer Legal Advocacy and Services Project— CLASP for short. “Sharon, my attorney, set up an appointment and set up the whole scope of what was going on,” said Williams. Earnestine found the free legal help she received at Hiscock Legal Aid Society to be incredibly useful as she navigated through the complex legal system through one of the most difficult periods of her life. “We just clicked,” said Williams. “She prepared me for the judge’s questions when I went to court so I wasn’t caught off guard.” “After meeting with Sharon, I had peace of mind,” said Williams. “I felt more relaxed. It gave me hope. I was very happy with the service. I felt calm and the whole frustration thing was gone.” Earnestine’s grandson lives with her. She’s back at work. She says her grandson is doing well too. “He’s in school. He’s got good grades. His mom always wanted his grades to be up. He has stability.”
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