Nikki is a joyful, sensitive, and loving developmentally disabled woman who needs 24-hour care. She was cared for by her mom solely until 2009 when she moved into a group home across the street. Every day, mom would come visit, bring a treat, and offer hugs. All was okay, for the most part, until COVID hit, and a series of events that followed changed their lives. The lack of contact with mom affected Nikki emotionally, and she was therefore put on some anti-depressants. The drug interactions triggered her epileptic seizures, and she had several in a short period of time. They increased her medicine, which made her very groggy. She was losing her ability to walk and screamed every time she was sitting down. Doctors took X-rays but apparently missed the fact that she had fractured her back (during a seizure most likely) and couldn’t communicate this. Her outbursts of pain were labeled behavioral, and she was diagnosed with bipolar and schizophrenia by a nurse practitioner who honestly should not be in practice. The amount of serious drugs she prescribed to Nikki landed her in the hospital multiple times. She was now permanently wheelchair-bound and could hardly communicate. About this time, her cousin passed away, and her mother had a stroke. And then another and another. Her sister had to take over all the care for her, their mom, and great aunt from Florida. Noticing a huge change in the sister she knew, she embarked on a long journey to uncover the medical issues and psychological evaluations that led her sister to this vegetative state. The story is far too long for a GoFundMe, but Nikki has been cleared of all psychiatric conditions and has been seeing a holistic psychiatrist who has been monitoring her micronutrients and stabilizing her necessary medications. She has been doing physical therapy and is now walking with a walker! Her mind is working again, and she is full of life! Unfortunately, Nikki is struggling with the loss of family. Mom has had two more strokes and had to move to Florida so that she could be cared for by family. Great Aunt Luba passed away, and most recently and shockingly, Nikki’s roommate, who was very close to her, died in her sleep.

Lately, Nikki has been calling mom and sister crying that she misses everyone. We are trying to figure out what it will take to move her to Florida. But first, she must come and visit for a couple of weeks to see how she responds to the climate. We have decided that a trip in November will be good, and she would need two escorts to come along to care for her medical needs and physical needs. Nikki’s benefits are minimal, and the program does not have the funds for this type of travel, so we will be paying out of pocket. We would like to take Nikki to Sea World and Disney while here, and she will be staying at an Airbnb that accommodates her needs. The entire trip, not including meals, is well over $9500. With meals for all of them and transportation, it will be closer to $12,500. Any assistance possible is greatly appreciated. She is so excited to see her mom, sister, nieces, nephews, and their babies! She has had a very difficult year, to say the least, and this trip is keeping her “going” for the moment. Hopefully, she can move here eventually, but for now, this is the next best thing.