The Oscar winner donated $20,000 to a mother of four facing astronomical home energy bills to operate her disabled daughter’s life-support equipment. Earlier this month, Carolynne Hunter of Clackmannanshire, Scotland, launched a GoFundMe campaign to help raise $24,000 for the running costs of the medical appliances that help keep her 12-year-old daughter, Freya, alive. Freya has cerebral palsy as well as other severe health problems and disabilities and receives full-time nursing care at home. The young girl relies on oxygen for chronic breathing problems and requires other arrangements to ensure her comfortability. Hunter explained the situation on the fundraising page, stating that her “annual cost for Electric & Gas as forecasted by an energy advisor at Clacks Council” would most likely be around $20,000. She told BBC Scotland that it currently costs $7,600 yearly to run the equipment and heat the home. In recent months, however, Carolynne explained she’d been forced to cut back on costs to combat the economic hardship that families across the world are facing, heating only Freya’s room in order to keep her and the healthcare workers warm. “Our journey as a family has been very traumatic and I just feel done at this point in my life,” Hunter told the outlet. Days into the campaign, the family received a surprising donation. $20,000 signed “Kate Winslet and family” was paid to the fundraiser, with the Titanic actress also reaching out to wish the family well. “When I heard about the money I just burst into tears – I thought it wasn’t even real,” she admitted. Though overwhelmed by the generosity of the screen star, Hunter felt it wasn’t Winslet’s responsibility to provide such immense financial support. “I’m going to be helped but what about everyone else?” the concerned mom noted, adding, “I wanted the government to pay for it and do the right thing – it shouldn’t have to be a celebrity that steps in.” In response to Hunter’s plea for help, Scotland’s Social Justice Secretary, Shona Robison, told CNN in a statement: “We are painfully aware of the hardship people are facing right now, which is why the Scottish Government is doing all it can to support households in need.” Winslet is a donor of Go Beyond, a charity that provides free respite breaks for disadvantaged and underprivileged children across the UK. The Divergent actress has also dedicated funds to other philanthropic efforts, founding the Golden Hat Foundation in 2010. According to the organization’s website, the nonprofit seeks to “change the way people on the autism spectrum are perceived by shining a light on their abilities and emphasizing their great potential.” More News: • Morgan Myles on Why It Wasn’t Crazy To Pick Camila Cabello as Her Coach on ‘The Voice’ • The Real Reason Len Goodman Is Quitting ‘Dancing with the Stars’ After Season 31 • Here’s Who Went Home on ‘Dancing With the Stars’ Tonight
