Becky McPherson and her son, Ryan, share a small apartment in San Jose. Years of ailments have often led Ryan to miss school and Becky to miss work, and a glut of medical bills makes it hard for them to make ends meet.

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Mom struggles to care for son
BOY'S ILLNESSES HAVE STRAINED RESOURCES OF SINGLE MOTHER

for 14 years, Becky McPherson has been torn between staying home to care for her sick son or going to work to provide for him.

Starting out as a single mother with no family, no education and no money, she's struggled over the years to stay off welfare, to keep a roof over their heads and to always be there for her son.

``I am the sole provider,'' says Becky, 39. ``There is no backup.'' Sometimes the two stay afloat. Sometimes they don't.

Becky's son, Ryan McWilliams, a 14-year-old seventh-grader, was born with congenital heart disease and kidney malfunctions that have caused repeated bacterial infections -- often keeping him out of school and his mom away from work.

``He'd be fine, then an hour later he'd drop to the floor,'' says Becky, remembering his childhood. ``His head would be cold, his torso on fire.'' Ryan's illnesses have left him with swollen, sore joints so that he can no longer draw without pain, something he used to love to do.

There's also a frightening pile of medical bills. But Becky continues to struggle on. She's repeatedly gone back to school, found good jobs, then lost them when she had to be in the hospital with Ryan, two, three, sometimes four times a year.

``There's just not enough of me,'' Becky says. She's working now as a billing analyst for a telecommunications company, but even with a full-time job, she can't pay all the medical bills.

The family could use some help with gift certificates ($25 each) (24A) to buy winter clothes and household items. A computer ($700) (24B) with graphics software for Ryan and a desk ($50) (24C) would feed his personal interests and educational needs. And passes to the movies ($5 each) (24D) would get them both out of their tiny, one-bedroom apartment now and then for a little fun.