Meet my mom, Andrea St. Cyr.  She is a survivor.  On March 10, 2014 she suffered a spinal cord stroke, died and was brought back to life by the medical team. This left her paralyzed from the knees down.  Despite her many physical challenges and brushes with death, my mom has a very positive attitude and always looks on the bright side.  I’ve never once heard her say “Why me?”  When asked how she feels about being paralyzed at age 76, she says “What are you going to do?”  And then, she laughs. 

I've devoted much of my adult life to caring for my mom.  In the past two years, this has included living in the hospital for three months following the spinal cord stroke, staying at the skilled nursing facility to manage a complicated situation, assisting in locating the right caregiving team, equipping the home and providing hands-on caregiving.  After a necessary hiatus from work to take care of mom, I needed (and wanted) to return to work.  Re-entering the work force—even though I’m a highly qualified business woman—and finding a job which will pay for mom’s ongoing caregiving and medical needs has been much more difficult than imagined.

The short story is that mom’s life savings have been completely depleted by this situation, and so have mine.  We must raise funds by April 5 in order to keep mom at home.  My deep experience in being directly responsible for my mother’s caregiving has led me to the conclusion that if moved to a nursing facility, she will likely die.  These facilities do not have the resources needed for the high level of individualized caregiving a paralyzed person must have in order to remain alive and thrive.   

I am setting up a GoFundMe account in the hopes that those of you who are willing and able, will contribute to the campaign to Keep Andrea Alive.  Any and all monies raised will contribute directly to paying for the caregiving team, medical supplies, and physical therapy.  This fundraising campaign is a bridge measure to keep mom alive until I have the proper cash flow to fund the level of care needed.  It is not easy to ask for help, which is why I find myself in this desperate situation. I've usually been the one to provide for others. 

We are so grateful for whatever it is that your heart may compel you to contribute.  Even a note of support will go a very long way to helping us at this pivotal time. 
 
With love and gratitude,

Sharon & Mom Andrea