Help Kathy's Family While She's in the ICU

Hello, Friends. This is Lici Joy, one of Kathy's children, and I am writing on behalf of my father (Steve) and siblings (Stephanie and Jeremy). If you've ever experienced a hardship in life, you know how difficult it can be to ask for help. Yet, that is what I am here to do, because we need your help.

This past Friday, 2 July 2021, while out of town on vacation, my father was not able to rouse my mother (Kathy) from her sleep. She hadn't been feeling well for a while, but because she's terribly stubborn, she kept telling us she was "fine" and "we'll see how I feel tomorrow." Well, on her most recent "we'll see tomorrow", she didn't wake up.

She was rushed via ambulance to the local hospital in Grand Marais, MN and then quickly transferred to St. Mary's Hospital in Duluth, MN. When she came in, some of her organs were failing, she had been hypoxic for an unknown amount of time, her white blood cell count was quite high, she was unable to breathe on her own, and she was unconscious/non-responsive. To keep her alive, she was put on a ventilator, put on a feeding tube, had multiple IVs put in, has had fifteen different medications running into her at once, and was eventually put on continuous dialysis while they try to figure out what caused this and get/keep her stabilized.

Today is day four, and although some of her numbers have changed for the better, she is still unconscious/unresponsive, her organs are still at risk of failing, she's unable to be taken off the ventilator, is on a lot of antibiotics, is on continuous dialysis, hasn't improved much in the past couple of days, and is being carefully managed by the kind staff of the St. Mary's Hospital - Duluth, ICU. As of right now, we still don't know what caused her organs to start failing, or if she will ever wake up again.

Our hearts are breaking. We're trying to take some deep breaths, get some rest, and even find moments of laughter, in order to keep ourselves in the right frame of mind, manage our emotions, and keep our bodies healthy.

This is how we're "dividing an conquering":

Stephanie (the nurse) has flown in from Chalfont, Pennsylvania to help with the medical care team, and translating all of Mum's labs for us; as well as, ensure she's getting the best care possible. While she's here, her husband is working full-time and trying to manage Stephanie's responsibilities. Thankfully, her daughter McKenzie is a gem and is helping with her younger brother, who has severe autism and needs a lot of help. Today is his 12th birthday, and Stephanie wishes she could celebrate with him.

Jeremy (the accountant) is working from home in Woodbury, MN, and is taking on the task of managing our parents' day-to-day finances. As he's doing this, he and his wife are also working full-time, juggling a busy household with two small daughters, and trying to keep their children occupied while childcare is occasionally unavailable.

I (Lici Joy, the almost yoga-teacher and holistic wellness coach) flew in from Aurora, Colorado to take care of the practical day-to-day things (coordinating/organizing things, laundry, food, getting my dad's medications, etc.) and give emotional support to my dad and sister. My husband, Bobby, has been given permission from his chain of command to drive out here and help us for a short while. While we're here, I'm juggling three certification programs (i.e., lots of classes and homework), and trying to come up with a coordinated plan/strategy for a couple of different outcomes.

My father, Steve (the heartbroken husband), is trying to be by my Mum's side as often as he can, so that she knows one of us is always with her. He's not only heartbroken, but scared. He hates to see her suffer.

Mum is still unconscious, so we don't know how much she is taking in, but we're doing our best to talk with her, read books that she would like, and play her favorite music.

While she's in the hospital in Duluth, we are staying in a hotel room and (so far) are eating out/at the hospital cafeteria. I hope to purchase some grocery items once Bobby arrives, but since our hotel stay is only a day or two at a time, and we don't have much space for food storage, this has not been practical. Ideally, depending on how long the stay in Duluth is, a more affordable hotel with more amenities, will become available. Even if we're able to find a less expensive accommodation, the expenses will continue to add up quickly. We don't know who will be here for what amount of time, but my father will definitely be here for awhile, as well as someone to help him manage everything that needs to be managed.

Until then, this is what your help will fund:

• Lodging for my father, sister, Bobby and myself (we're sharing a room)
• Healthy food to eat in order to keep up our health and strength
• Incidentals such as: replacing my dad's missing hearing aid batteries, going to the laundromat, toiletries if my dad's run out, etc.
• Gas for getting around, and
• Parking Fees for the ramps and streets

To know my Mum is to love my Mum. Although she only had three children, she has loved and cared for hundreds of children over the years in her home day care, at churches, and all of our neighborhood friends. She's always one to leave an empty chair in case someone happens to need a place to eat, listen in case someone needs to talk, give generously beyond her means, and put everyone else's needs before her own. I'm thankful I get to call her my Mum and my best friend. Please help us be here for her while she's in the most vulnerable place she's ever been in her life. She may be here for quite a while and, if she pulls through, she will have a long road to recovery.

Any amount is appreciated! Please feel free to share this on your Facebook pages, in emails, on your blog, with your church, wherever you can. And, if you can't give financial support, prayers, words of encouragement, and positive energy are also welcome. Although my Mum only had three children, she has loved hundreds of them over the years -- in her day care, at church, and wherever she went. If you were one of those children, we would love to be able to read to her any messages you send to her. We don't know how much she'll take in right now, but knowing she is loved is something we're trying to help her feel. If you would like to reach out, please comment on Go-Fund Me, send me an email, or even send a video message that I could play for her.

With much love and gratitude,

Lici Joy Manship (nee Lambrides)