In Miami’s record heat, she sheltered at home with no A.C. Then a doctor decided to help

Donna Hester overslept and nearly missed her church service on Sunday — for a wonderful reason.

She finally slept comfortably.

After three months of living without a functioning air-conditioning unit, mostly while sheltering at home because of the coronavirus, Hester on Saturday received a replacement unit at her Miami Gardens house. The donation came via Dr. David Farcy, a local emergency-room physician, who read about her plight in the Miami Herald.

“It keeps the house so nice and cool. I’m so happy,” said Hester, 59. “This still shows me that we have people willing to help other people. We still have people with good hearts.”

Hester was featured in a story on South Florida’s poor being unable to afford A.C. during the economic downturn caused by the pandemic. April’s heat was also record setting, and May hasn’t been any better — the first Atlantic tropical storm of the season, Arthur, has already formed, fueled by warm sea water.

While most residents have some form of air conditioning, there remains a small percentage who cannot afford to buy or replace cooling units. With utility bills rising because of the heat and more people staying at home, some residents have taken to running their A.C. units less.

“During this pandemic, we’ve asked people to stay at home — and we’ve had record heat for this season,” Farcy said. “With older patients, it affects them much worse than a younger patient.”

Hester’s A.C. unit broke down in February, just before the pandemic forced businesses across South Florida to shut down to curb the spread of the novel coronavirus. Hester had been working at Burlington Coat Factory as a cashier, earning $12 an hour.

But like millions of other retail workers across the county, Hester was furloughed when the store closed its doors, which made saving for a new A.C. unit impossible. Hester has spent most of the pandemic trying to stay cool on her porch.

Farcy, along with a few other donors, chipped in almost $3,000 to help purchase and install the replacement unit.

On Saturday, as the unit was being installed, he drove to Miami Gardens to meet Hester.

“During this unprecedented time, the community has reached out to help emergency workers. They’ve sent us cards and food. I truly believe in paying it forward when good actions are done,” Farcy said. “I felt very compassionate about doing this. It was great to see her and hear her story.”

This story was originally published May 18, 2020 at 2:04 PM.