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Light One Candle Injured mom needs washing machine EDITOR'S NOTE : "Light One Candle" is an annual Mail Tribune feature that focuses on a single need of a person, family or agency during the holiday season. For information, call 776-4465 or e-mail [email protected] The 20-year-old single mother was getting by, just barely, until a month ago. She was working at a Medford fast-food restaurant, paying her bills, keeping her house, taking care of her 2-year-old daughter. But then she hurt herself at work, wrenching her back so badly that doctors ordered her home for rest. It has been several weeks now since the young woman was injured, says Peg Bowden, director of the Healthy Start program run by the Jackson County Health Department. She's having a hard time making ends meet, sure, but more than that, she's having a hard time taking care of her chores and her child, Bowden says. One of the most difficult tasks is laundry. Before she was hurt, the young woman would load up laundry baskets and her little girl and haul it all eight blocks to a laundromat. That's even tougher now that she has been injured. "Her wish is a washing machine," says Bowden. A used washing machine in good working order would be a great relief, Bowden says. Members of the Healthy Start staff are available to pick up donations. For more information about how to help, contact Merry Whitten at 774-8083. Mail Tribune Copyright � The Mail Tribune 1999, Medford, Oregon USA