Against all odds, a homeless mother in Minnesota, Florence Matadi, who dreamed of seeing her son compete at the Olympics is officially off to Rio. 


The mother of the Olympic sprinter, Emmanuel Matadi, found support from her church that started a GoFundMe campaign to cover her travel expenses to Rio de Janeiro to see her son compete in the 100-meter and 200-meter dash, the Twin Cities Pioneer Press reports.

A GoFundMe representative verified the campaign, now up to more than $5,000 – and told PEOPLE that Matadi was on her way to the Games on Saturday, just in time for elimination trials. "She'll be in Rio till the end of the Games with her son supporting him. Any additional funds are going to be used to help her get back on her feet."

Matadi, 58, has been homeless since losing her St. Paul residence to a fire in 2013.