When Bronx woman Cheree Evans entered the Williamsbridge Center nursing facility in November, she had only a vague memory and a desperate hope that her uncle, Freddy Simmons — a man she calls her father figure — would be there.
Until November, Evans had only seen her uncle once in the past 13 years. That sole interaction was during a short visit at Williamsbridge Center just weeks before the COVID-19 pandemic closed nursing facilities across the country.
As she entered the nursing home, propelled by a hazy memory of that last visit, all Evans could hope was that Simmons hadn’t died or been moved elsewhere.
But sure enough, Simmons was waiting.
“To see him sitting in that chair, I had to give him a hug,” Evans said about their reunion. “I had to kiss him. I truly missed him.”
Frederick “Freddy” Simmons, 66, grew up as one of eight children in Harlem. Evans says that he had a difficult childhood and early life, having dropped out of school at a young age, but that he always cared for her and taught her how to stick up for herself.
“My uncle was there for me my whole life,” Evans said.
Eventually, Evan says, things seemed to be turning around for Simmons. He was working on his health and learning to drive. Evans said it was supposed to be his second shot in life.
But in 2007, Simmons was struck by a 2 train in an accident that resulted in the loss of both legs and a hand. The trauma of the accident caused his mental stability to deteriorate faster than expected. Evans cared for her uncle for some time, but with the stress of working two jobs, she hired a caretaker for Simmons around 2010.
In 2011, a jury awarded Simmons $6 million, saying the train operator didn’t break quickly enough. With the award money, Simmons no longer qualified for his housing and had to find a new place to live. According to Evans, his caretaker at the time took the $6 million, distributed it within their own family and eventually put Simmons in a nursing…
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