A photographer has raised more than USD 4,000 for her cancer-suffering dad who had to relocate his honey stall after being reprimanded by coldhearted town council busybodies.
Maria Nevarez revealed on social media that her father Antonio Recoba had been forced to find another spot for his small stand at which he sells honey, peanuts and wood carvings to make ends meet.
The Arizona State Land Department informed the retired welder they had received complaints. However, the authority refused to elaborate on what kind of issues had come up regarding his mobile roadside stall in the city of Buckeye.
Antonio said he had registered a slump in sales after the enforced relocation but underlined he would not give up. The elderly apiarist added that his struggle with metastasic lung cancer would not deter him either.
Meanwhile, kindhearted individuals hearing about his fate donated USD 4,157 (EUR 3,820, GBP 3,260) to a fundraiser established by his daughter Maria.
She reacted by writing on GoFundMe: “I just wanted to give out a huge thank you to everyone who has donated, shared, sent out prayers and bought honey.
“My dad and our family are so grateful. I will most definitely keep everyone updated on his health.”
Speaking to the AZCentral news network, she said: “He’s always up and going. No matter if he’s sick, no matter if he doesn’t feel well. You will never see my dad at home resting.”
Antonio, who gets up at four o’clock each day, said: “I like to work. My advice is to stay active.
“I am very grateful to the locals because they are the ones who buy most of the things from me. They know me well. When they don’t find me, they come to look for me.”
Antonio, who had a cancer-infested kidney removed two years ago, has now been diagnosed with lung cancer. Reflecting on this experience, he said: “I went to the doctor. They detected cancer in my lung. It has spread.”
But the ‘Buckeye Bee Man’ made clear: “But I will continue to work because my work is my life. If I don’t get up for work, I think I’m going to be off worse.
“I like having the distraction. My wife works too but she does not make enough money.”
People on social media have expressed their anger about the officials’ decision to force Antonio, who has a licence to sell food and other goods, to look for a different location for his sales stand.
User ‘vfajardo87’ argued: “This man is just trying to live and is doing so in an amazing way!”
Blogger Amy Watts asked: “Why are we not worrying about the multi-billion dollar companies getting away without paying any taxes?”
She added: “This man is probably barely making enough to pay his bills let alone his hospital bills because, God forbid, we help the American people with healthcare for everyone!”
