On May 17, 2023, we received the unfortunate news that our mother’s doctors had done everything possible for her metastatic breast cancer.
She was initially diagnosed at the end of 2020 with triple negative breast cancer. Per her doctor, This form of breast cancer tends to have a high growth rate and has fewer treatment options available. It also has one of the worst outlooks. Despite that grim prognosis, she came through all of her chemotherapy treatments, surgery, and radiation like a champ. She did everything the doctors told her to do and then some. After about 10 months, she was able to ring the bell. For those who don’t know, that is a celebration for when cancer patients are have finished treatment and are deemed cancer free!
Unfortunately, barely 2 years later, it was discovered the cancer had spread to her brain and spinal fluid. She had been experiencing unexplained headaches and neck pain prior to going for a check up. After the initial MRI, it was determined that she had a large tumor in her brain in a section that was inoperable. Steroids and radiation or both used in attempt to shrink the tumor, however this was unsuccessful and just made her uncomfortable.
She spent two months in the hospital before being sent to a terrible palliative care facility that was about 40 minutes from our home. The conditions of this facility were awful. There was trash in the air vents right beside her bed, we couldn’t get a nurse in for over 20 minutes when we first arrived, we saw numerous patients just wandering around without assistance, one even having an bathroom accident in the middle of the hallway. We decided that even though we weren’t nurses, we wanted to bring her home and care for her there. So that’s where we are currently, home and doing everything possible to make her comfortable and during her last few days. It’s remarkable that she is still with us, because initially the doctors I told her she only had a few weeks but it’s already been a month since she’s been home and she’s still here.
We are thrilled that she is still here with us, but I am so concerned on how to pay for her funeral because there is no life insurance and with life the way that it is, there isn’t much savings between myself or father. Most of my savings has gone to paying for in-home nursing for her while I myself am also on FMLA to take care of her. I don’t have much time left, so I’m going to have to go back to work soon and figure out how to pay for even more in-home nursing to support my father who has his own health issues and cannot really provide aid.
We do not have enough to pay for a funeral and that is where I am asking for help.
Your donation would help us tremendously and would ease our mind of how to lay our loved one to rest comfortably.
https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/alexenc27