BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KERO) — A pancake breakfast fundraiser will be held this Saturday to support Kern County Sheriff's deputy Jasmine Francisco, who is facing both cancer treatment and extensive home repairs after discovering severe mold damage in her new house.
Francisco, a single mother, received a cancer diagnosis on April 10, just days before getting the keys to her new northeast Bakersfield home on April 21.
"On April 10th is when I was diagnosed with cancer. I was already in the process of obtaining this home, but less than two weeks later, I received the keys for the house on April 21st," Francisco said.
While dealing with her health crisis, Francisco discovered another serious problem with her new home.
"I had someone come out to investigate some of the issues of the house, and that's when I found out not only was there mold throughout the house, it was also — um — concealed," Francisco said.
Sean Todd with 'STOP' Restoration confirmed the extensive damage.
"We came up with our guys and we discovered mold underneath the sink and all," Todd said.
The mold contamination was widespread, affecting multiple rooms, including both bathrooms, the master bedroom, the hallway, and the kitchen area. Walls had to be torn out and floors pulled up for complete remediation.
"You kind of have to chase it, so when you open it up, you just keep chasing it until you can't find it anymore," Todd said.
The financial burden has been substantial for Francisco while she undergoes treatment.
"The damages for the mold and remediation were over $50,000, and then there have been some extra costs along the way," Francisco said.
All this occurred while Francisco underwent surgery for kidney cancer.
Michelle Avila with the Kern County Cancer Foundation explained their involvement: "Our job as an organization is to try to alleviate some of that financial stress, um, that patients are going through."
For Todd, the restoration work became personal.
"It made me remember what it's like to be diagnosed with cancer," Todd said. "And me helping, you know, made this a little bit more special."
The Kern County Law Enforcement Association is leading a pancake breakfast fundraiser this Saturday at their banquet hall on Pegasus Drive. The event begins at 7 a.m. Advance tickets are available through Wednesday for $10 each, with tickets at the door costing $12 on Saturday.
Call 661-220-3928 or 661-979-1628 for tickets.
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BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT
It smells like a pancake breakfast, but it tastes like a fundraiser at the KLEA banquet hall this Saturday. I'm Mike Hart, your senior reporter, and the reason behind this is Sheriff's deputy Jasmine Francisco coming to you live inside this home in northeast Bakersfield. The home of Sheriff's deputy -- Jasmine Francisco.
I anchored the morning news from inside Jasmine's home on move-in day, 4 months after this single mom received a shocking diagnosis.
"On April 10th is when I was diagnosed with cancer. I was already in the process of obtaining this home, but less than two weeks later, I received the keys for the house on April 21st," said Francisco.
While trying to figure out how to approach her cancer diagnosis, she was hit with news of another problem.
"I had someone come out to investigate some of the issues of the house, and that's when I found out not only was there mold throughout the house, it was also -- um -- concealed," said Francisco.
"We came up with our guys and we discovered mold underneath the sink and all," said Sean Todd with 'STOP' Restoration.
So in both of the bathrooms in here, it stretched from here, we're in the master bedroom right now, and we're gonna be going down the hallway here past the guest bathroom, which also had severe mold and had to be replaced into the kitchen area. Walls had to be torn out floors had to be pulled up to remediate this entire problem.
"You kind of have to chase it, so when you open it up, you just keep chasing it until you can't find it anymore," said Todd.
"The damages for the mold and remediation were over $50,000, and then there have been some extra costs along the way," said Francisco.
All this while Jasmine underwent surgery for kidney cancer.
"Our job as an organization is to try to alleviate some of that financial stress, um, that patients are going through," said Michelle Avila with the Kern County Cancer Foundation.
And Sean Todd said he was eager to chip in on understanding what Jasmine's going through.
"It made me remember what it's like to be diagnosed with cancer," said Todd, "and me helping, you know, made this a little bit more special."
In addition to donations from various organizations, the current law enforcement association is taking the lead on a pancake breakfast fundraiser Saturday at their banquet hall on Pegasus Drive.
The flapjacks start flipping bright and early at 7:00 a.m. Saturday morning. Advance tickets for sale through Wednesday for $10 each, $12 at the door on Saturday.
In Oildale, I'm Mike Hart, your senior reporter.
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