Kevin’s Angels brings free home cleanings to cancer patients in Riverdale and beyond

In the wake of 45-year-old Kevin Farrell’s death last March due to pancreatic cancer, his wife, Christina Farrell, made it a mission to memorialize his memory.

Eight months after her husband died,  Christina Farrell launched Kevin’s Angels — a service that provides free house cleanings to Riverdale, Westchester and Inwood residents undergoing cancer treatment. Now, Christina Farrell said Kevin’s Angels is looking to expand their service.

Christina Farrell said her 8-year-old son Conor came up with the idea for Kevin’s Angels. She also has a daughter, Laurie Beth, who is 4.

“When you’re fighting cancer and you’re sick, you’re thinking about saving your life,” Christina Farrell said. “There’s no time to clean your house. There’s absolutely no time to keep yourself organized.”

It’s also crucial to maintain a sterile environment, Christina Farrell explained, since the resident’s immune system is compromised. Especially important are countertops, where numerous bottles of medication may sit, and floors, where residents may walk barefoot due to their feet being swollen from chemotherapy.

Kevin’s Angels, which is a branch of Christina Farrell’s company Cleaning Wand NYC, is still in its early stages. Christina Farrell said they have done two cleanings so far — one in Riverdale for a family with a young boy who was sick, and another for a middle-aged woman in Crestwood.

Christina Farrell said the team is particular about making sure cleaning products used are organic or U.S. Environmental Protection Agency-certified. Supplies are unscented, as a lot of residents undergoing cancer treatment are sensitive to smell, she explained.

In the fall, Christina Farrell said Kevin’s Angels is widening its reach. A few things are in consideration, such as hiring a larger marketing team, or partnering with hospitals and doctors’ offices who can inform their patients the service exists.

“I see us as the source of hope for cancer patients,” Christina Farrell said about what she imagines Kevin’s Angels will be as it continues to grow. “Knowing the community has their back, that there’s an extra resource for them.”

Tangible action matters, Christina Farrell explained. Instead of just extending sympathy, Kevin’s Angel’s is focused on doing something that provides real support to residents and their families.

For Christina Farrell, Kevin’s Angels is as much about giving back to her neighbors as it is processing her own grief. The first year after losing her husband, she was consumed by just trying to stay afloat — scheduling appointments, filing paperwork, getting the kids sorted. But now, she said the loss is sinking in.

“It’s more of a permanent mark,” Christina Farrell said “Kevin is not coming back … How am I going to position his name and his memory so that I can continue healing and grieving and knowing that his name and spirit will always be alive?” 

When her husband was sick, Christina Farrell said a local organization, the Jim Downey Memorial Foundation, helped the family with medical bills. She added she plans for some donations to Kevin’s Angels to go back into the foundation.

Jim Downey was a retired FBI agent who was known for serving the community, especially as a coach and manager for the North Riverdale Baseball League. He died from lung cancer in 2009, and in 2013 the city renamed the street near Mosholu Avenue and the baseball field Jim Downey Way.

Jim Downey’s sons, Jimmy, Brian and Michael, founded the memorial foundation. It hosts an annual golf outing at Van Cortlandt Park, where proceeds are given to cancer research, or to a family whose loved one is undergoing treatment.

Brian Downey — also the owner of Downey’s Bar and Grill on Mosholu Avenue — grew up with Kevin Farrell, he said, and later married into the family, as his wife is a Farrell cousin.

He said he wasn’t surprised when Christina Farrell told him about Kevin’s Angels, because she was always looking for a way to give back to the community that stood by her while her husband was in treatment. Brian Downey felt that support when his dad was sick too.

“It’s a horrible disease, it has no boundaries,” Brian Downey said. “Everyone knows someone or was related to someone who had it, who fought it, who passed from it … Riverdale really is that neighborhood that when it’s time of need, we really get together and back each other.”

Christina Farrell emphasized that if a neighbor is in need of a cleaning, they can email Cleaning Wand NYC with a note from their primary care provider that confirms their own or their family member’s cancer diagnosis, and Kevin’s Angels will be there to help.