A Place For Mom

My mother-in-law, Terry, was diagnosed with stage 4 Melanoma this Christmas season.  She was unable to find an oncologist near our home that took her Medicaid plan, so she had to move three hours away to her brother's to get treatment.  Since then, Terry has been in and out of the hospital multiple times.  She recently had a brief stay at a nursing facility and received poor care that was documented as neglect by the local hospital.  Despite undergoing cancer treatment, Terry's cancer has continued to progress and is now in almost every part of her body including her brain.  She is no longer able to get out of bed without a lot of pain even with help, so she has chosen hospice care.  Terry chose Hospice of Texarkana which is a non-profit and has an inpatient facility that can be used for respite or acute care.   She is currently at their inpatient facility while they get her pain to a level that she can discharge.  Sadly, our family is not going to be able to provide the level of care that Terry needs to discharge  home, so we are once again looking at Medicaid facilities.  In the meantime, Terry is enjoying her stay at their facility.  She is the most comfortable we've seen her since this cancer journey has started.  Honestly, we are the most at ease here as well.  It broke my heart hearing Terry tell the pastor who came to visit that she is still looking for a place to stay and not be moved again.  The hospice facility will not be able to qualify Terry to stay there much longer and she will need to discharge to a facility soon unless she is able to private pay.   As I watch Terry look out the window of her room for the deer that come up near the patio and my family scrambles to find placement for her, I can't help but wonder if there isn't something else that can be done. A go fund me page may be a long shot, but as I told a family member, "What do we have to lose by trying"?  We are requesting donations so Terry can spend the remainder of her days at the facility to prevent her from moving again, and a chance to see these deer she has become so interested in.  The alternatives near her have small shared rooms, and poor ratings, with a good chance for inadequate care yet again.  Any donation size is appreciated by our family.  Funds that aren't used will be donated to the Hospice of Texarkana which is a non-profit or payed forward to another patient that would like to stay there and can't afford it.   Thank you.