Ararat and his wife immigrated to the United States in the early 1990s when an earthquake destroyed their home in Armenia. They were able to rebuild their lives in California and started planning for a large family. Ararat spent the last 20 years building a career in the floor covering industry. The past sixteen years he has been self-employed as an installer, removing and installing hardwood and laminate flooring. “Our life was good. We had just bought our own home and had our second baby. Then I got sick.” Ararat was diagnosed with leukemia in 2009.
The hardest part was learning that he and his wife couldn’t have more children after his transplant. In 2015, Ararat faced another devastating diagnosis, oral cancer. But perhaps the most difficult news came later that year when his 13-year-old daughter, Anabell, was diagnosed with leukemia. With medical bills pouring in, Ararat was under a lot of financial stress, afraid he wouldn’t be able to take care of his family. “I kept getting calls from creditors. I felt like a failure. I was supposed to take care of my family.”
He was behind on his mortgage and worried he would lose his house, but thanks to the Floor Covering Industry Foundation, that did not happen. “When I got my grant, I was emotional. I felt a huge weight off my chest. I felt secure. I knew I had our home for my family.”
Pictured is Ararat, a flooring installer from California, and his family while traveling to Greece. The trip to Greece was their daughter Anabell's Make a Wish grant due to her love for Greek mythology. The Floor Covering Industry Foundation helped the family be able to keep their home while Ararat recovered from leukemia and oral cancer and his daughter, Anabell fought leukemia.