The “bonus mother” of homeless hero Joel Hartman took to Facebook Saturday to defend both Hartman and his long-lost family about how they handled a Thanksgiving Day reunion.
Responding to what she said were “hurtful” comments about the family’s intentions and its care of Hartman, Deanna Rodecki said she is doing the best she can to help Hartman and get him care she believes he needs to succeed. She made her remarks in a message to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, which wrote about the reunion.
“Many people made the comment: Just give Joel a job, teach him a skill, give him a place to live,” she wrote. “They don’t seem to be thinking about the bigger picture. Joel needs to be physically and mentally sound in order to get and maintain gainful employment. AND Joel wants this help. He is ready to make that change.”
Rodecki, who had been trying to find Hartman for a decade, has limited financial means but paid herself for the trip this week that reunited Hartman with her and Hartman’s two half-brothers — children of his father but born to different mothers. She considers herself his “bonus mother” since she had a long relationship with his father, although there is no biological tie.
While Hartman has received an outpouring of job offers and “material goods,” his family also made a public appeal for medication donations.
“Some of you have issue with this,” Rodecki wrote Saturday. “Simply put, we cannot financially support Joel in a way to meet his needs … treating Joel is going to take a great deal of resources … resources that would be nearly impossible to acquire personally, in less than 48 hours, on a holiday. We do not have insurance or money to support Joel in the manner that he needs.”
Rodecki also refuted comments about the reunion: “WE DID NOT JUST GET ON A PLANE AND ABANDON JOEL!” she wrote. “We were lucky we had the one day with him that we did. This is only the beginning. We have a list of phone calls to make, we will schedule appointments, call him daily and we will hold him accountable for his actions. We will visit him at every opportunity. If Joel is well enough and on the right track, I will have him come for Christmas. THIS IS WHAT IT TAKES … a complete commitment. We are in for the long haul. It should go with out saying … we love Joel. We want nothing from Joel — except his complete recovery, a family relationship and his love.”
Hartman has received widespread attention for returning a woman’s wallet he found while digging through a downtown Atlanta trash can looking for food. The 36-year-old has been homeless in Atlanta since March, and has also battled emotional problems such as an acute attention deficit disorder and has been unable to hold down a job.
The general manager of the city’s Omni hotel, where the woman was staying, thanked Hartman for his good deed by giving him a $500 reward and a weeklong hotel stay. As news spread, Hartman has also received a slew of media attention, job offers and other help.
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