Give2Tom

Tom was diagnosed with Frontotemporal Dementia (FTD) in 2014. It's similar to Alzheimer's in that it attacks the brain but it's so much worse in many ways. It attacks the young, it kills quickly, and it leaves the sufferer with enough of the knowledge and memory of what's happening to them that it would terrify even the most stoic of men. Tom is in the late stages of this illness right now and is currently living at Baisch Nursing Center in DeSoto, MO because he needs around the clock monitoring and care. He can no longer walk, talk, feed himself, use the bathroom or express his wants/needs. To give you an idea of how quickly this illness struck, four years ago Tom was walking his older daughter down the aisle and an outsider wouldn't have been able to see any symptoms at all.


Tom is going through a living hell right now because he knows he doesn't have much longer to live but he can't do anything about it. And even in his final hour, he's more worried than ever about the burden he's leaving with his family. So much so, that he tried to take his own life twice during the summer of 2015 so he could "stop being a burden."

Because of Tom's young age, 59, and the quick decline that FTD causes, many of the assistance programs that someone with dementia would usually qualify for are either not available to him or won't provide any more financial assistance than their current budget provides. So, right now, all of the hospital bills, doctors fees, and the nursing home payments are coming out of pocket for Tom's family. Disability and pension help a little, but Peggy, Tom's wife, although working full time, still relies on a portion of Tom's income to help her with her own living expenses and bills on top paying Tom's nursing home, medical care, etc. Trust me when I tell you that the amounts are staggering and that there's no explanation other than a miracle from God that has kept Peggy from going into bankruptcy.

Here's the reason I started this GoFundMe page: the Russell family has blessed every single person they've come in contact with. Whether it is with their unshakable faith that spills over onto everyone around them, their overwhelming love for everyone they come in contact with, their truly joyous spirits that make you want to soak up just a little more time with them, or even if it was just Tom helping you with your car (he was a mechanic for most of his life) or Peggy serving you lunches in high school with a smile. This family has blessed everyone around them a million times over and it's about time we pour a little bit of that back on them. Tom, Peggy, and their kids have gone through enough. They are still going through more than enough where everyday they wonder where they're going to get the strength to deal with this. They don't need to go through this emotional beating and then have to worry about how they're going to come up with the money to be able to keep Tom in the nursing home. So let's give back to this amazing family and help cover a little bit of that expense. Let's help them enjoy what little time they have left with their husband and father and let's send Tom off without him having to worry about the burden he's going to leave his family. Even if it's just $20, that's still a wonderful blessing to be able to give this family.

Thank you for your support, prayers, and love.

Kate Trumbo