- November 27, 2024
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Tiffany Paraggio has always known what kind of person her mother is. Generous and never one to think twice about giving back, Donna Paraggio’s tendency to help pay a stranger’s bill at the grocery store landed her some notoriety two years ago.
She won the “#liveAOK” contest on “LIVE with Kelly and Michael,” which was started to reward and celebrate people with a generous spirit.
Paraggio won because she paid a grocery store balance for a young mother who came up short at the register at the Publix in The Trails Shopping Center. The prize was $500 and a year’s supply of Extra Gum — which didn’t make it the full year thanks to her grandson.
Now the woman known for generosity is asking for some help. Over the years, she’s developed bone-on-bone arthritis in one of her knees that’s gotten so bad that she can’t make it around the grocery store without a wheelchair.
“My knee feels like it’s gonna break in half when I walk sometimes,” Donna Paraggio said. “I miss the those days when I could walk around the store without being in pain. I used to walk around my apartment complex every night. I can’t do that anymore.”
Tiffany Paraggio said she moved down to Ormond Beach from New York because she wanted to be close to her mom and help take care of her during this difficult time. In addition to her knee problems, Donna Paraggio also has stage four kidney disease.
“I couldn’t take hearing her every day tell me how much pain she is in,” Tiffany Paraggio said. “I wanted to come down because I don’t know how much longer I’ll have with her. She’s gotten progressively worse, and it keeps me up at night.”
Tiffany Paraggio also said she thinks her mother — who is 66 years old — is way too young to be having all these medical issues.
"She’s so young,” Tiffany Paraggio said. “Her parents were in their 80s when they passed and never had problems like that. I had to buy her a wheelchair for when we go food shopping.”
“I’m falling apart,” Donna Paraggio chuckled, still attempting to be in good spirits.
In order for Donna Paraggio to get the knee replacement surgery needed for her to walk, she would have to take three months off work and be able to pay for the procedure itself, medication, rehabilitation, physical therapy and all the other bills and necessities needed for day-to-day life. Her current job does not offer short or long-term disability, so Tiffany Paraggio had the idea of starting a GoFundMe campaign to raise money for her mother to get the help she needs. They’re wanting to raise $15,000.
“I’m helping her as much as I can,” Tiffany Paraggio said. “But I’m currently unemployed and looking for a job. My mom needs this. I’ve witnessed her paying for the person behind her in the drive-thru. She does stuff like that all the time. It’s the type of person she is. I know she’d do this for someone else.”
Anyone interested in donating to help Donna Paraggio pay for her knee replacement surgery, visit gofundme.com/2jcmvf3h. The name of the campaign is “Mom Needs Knee Replacement.”
