As a single mother with health issues who struggles to make ends meet, Carmella Lewis has long depended on the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette's Goodfellows toy campaign to ensure that her young children got at least one Christmas gift each year.

	Bill Wade, Post-Gazette Carmella Lewis, center, and her children, left to right, Brandon Boyd, 13; Breanna Rice, 9; and Justin Boyd, 17. Click photo for larger image.

"This program got him his first paint set, and look at him now," she said.

Lewis, 43, lives in the Hill District with sons Brandon, the artist, and Justin Boyd, age 17 and 13, and daughter Breanna Rice, 9.

The boys, students at Schenley High School, have outgrown the Goodfellows but still remember the art supplies, football, educational and hand-held electronic games the program provided. Breanna, who attends Vann Elementary, is still eligible because of her age; she says her favorite gift so far was a plush Teletubbies doll.

Their mother calls the Goodfellows help "a blessing" in a life that has seen more than its share of hardship, where making ends meet has been a daily challenge.

Lewis has struggled with depression since her first-born daughter, Brittany, died at age 2 after an accident at a relative's home. She keeps the little girl's photo in a small, heart-shaped frame on the kitchen window sill.

"I call her my angel," she said. "I think about her every day."

Lewis had been supporting the family to the best of her ability by working as a home health care aide. But when her father became terminally ill, she left that job to take care of him. After his death last year, her depression worsened. Then, after extensive dental surgery, she grew dependent on painkillers and spent 30 days in rehabilitation, then a year of daily meetings.

She's clean now -- Nov. 25 was her one-year anniversary -- and is in training to be a mental health worker who will counsel others with the same problems she's experienced.

"Sometimes it's hard, but I pray a little, go to meetings and do what I have to do to survive," Lewis said.

While she's in training, the family makes do with some public assistance and food stamps, occasional child support from the children's fathers and some supplemental groceries from a community food bank. Lewis also found help from, and now serves on the advisory board of, the Hill District office of Community Connections for Families, an Allegheny County agency that helps people access the support they need.

Life still carries its burdens. In addition to the continuing sadness of having lost a child and a father, Lewis has had to deal with the incarceration of another son on drug charges. The family said he was due to be released by Christmas.

She takes joy in the achievements of Brandon, Justin and Breanna, and feels a real sense of accomplishment in her own recovery. Most of all, she has hope that the family will continue to overcome whatever obstacles come their way.

"With all the organizations that have helped me out, I have a different perspective than I did before," she said. "I feel like I'm making it now."

Contributions to Goodfellows from generous Post-Gazette readers will help ensure that every boy and girl receives a toy this holiday season.

Every donation, large and small, is acknowledged in the newspaper.

Contributions to Goodfellows are tax-deductible. You can donate using the coupon below, or make a donation online.