Ridgewood Mom Lost Husband To Cancer, And Her Dad Had A Stroke. Contractor Gave Her A Gift

RIDGEWOOD, NJ — Becky Gori of Ridgewood, a mother of two boys, has had a rough two years.

Her husband Ted found out he had pancreatic cancer in July 2023 after a lifetime free of serious health problems, she said. That form of cancer, on the rise since the 1990s, is among the most difficult to treat. Ted passed away 10 months later.

In spring, Gori's father in Idaho had a stroke. She flew out to help.

When she returned, she had a gift to comfort her — a solution to a nagging problem at home.

Water Torment

While dealing with health issues, it's hard to prioritize anything else. So when the ceiling Gori's kids' bathroom started leaking, she couldn't attend to it right away.

She was busy steering herself and her boys, 15 and 11, through grief.

She still talks about Ted through tears.

"He was a drummer," she said. "He was great. He spent a lot of time with the kids during the day and worked at night. His stomach started hurting a little bit. He was 54 when he [was diagnosed]. He found out in July of 2023, and passed away in May of 2024."

One of Ted's passions was playing with the band Black Dog, a Led Zeppelin tribute band.

As Gori grieved, she happened to mention to a friend that she had a leak in her house, after the friend mentioned her own leak.

Coincidentally, Gori's friend knew of a way to help.

The friend worked for Angi, a company founded 30 years ago as Angie's List. The co-founder, Angie Hicks, wanted an easy way for others to get recommendations for a handyman, plumber, or other contractor, if they couldn't find one through word of mouth.

Angi connects homeowners with local contractors around the country.

This year, the company started a program, "Angi's House Calls," to donate services to people going through a hard time. A friend can nominate someone for the help.

Angi dispatched Dan Falato, a local contractor, to help Gori. After meeting him, Gori left the home improvement project in his hands as she headed west to assist her dad.

When she returned, she was surprised.

The leak had been fixed, the damage repaired, and the bathroom redone (more photos are below).

"I think this whole movement is so great that they're helping so many people, and really taking on this big projects," Gori said. "I was just so thankful. I didn't know that she [my friend] would do that."

Best of all, Gori was able to help her dad through his health crisis with peace of mind.

"He's doing well," Gori said in an interview last week. "I was able to spend all of June and July helping out. He had limited movement and speech [at first]. And now he's almost fully recovered."

The program is still accepting nominations from people around the country. They said 10 to 12 projects are in the works so far.

"We've done a couple of bathrooms," Hicks said. "We've redone a sandbox, a kind of backyard play area. It's a great way to give back to the community and highlight the great work that the pros are doing."

So far, the company has helped people ranging from a new dad to a mom with cancer. They're approving the projects on a rolling basis, Hicks said, a few at a time.

Gori said, of the program, "It definitely came along at the right time."

Find out more about Angi's House Calls here.