A place for Terry Keppel

A Place For Terry

Anyone who knows Terry Keppel would tell you she is beautiful, smart, funny, vivacious, caring, generous, loving, hardworking, and tough. She is a breast cancer survivor who endured multiple surgeries and reconstruction with grace and courage. She has been cancer free since 2012.

Sadly, Terry’s triumph over cancer has been overshadowed by an even more devastating illness. About a year and a half ago, at the age of 66, Terry was diagnosed with advanced Alzheimer’s and Dementia Disease. She now finds herself struggling to comprehend basic information or to perform simple tasks we all take for granted. She has been living in the care of a close family member for the past six months but has quickly come to the point where she needs to be placed into a memory care facility. The costs of such care are overwhelming; they range anywhere from $8,000.00-$10,000.00 per month! Health insurance does not cover any of these costs.

Terry worked all her life; the last 25 years or so as a Make-Up Consultant for Este Lauder in Macy’s stores. Macy’s basically laid her off a few years after she returned part time from her battle with cancer. By that time, around 2018, she had begun to present subtle signs of dementia although neither she, nor those around her realized what was happening and why she could not concentrate enough to hold down another job. By late 2021 the signs of her illness were unmistakable and in Oct. of 2022 she was officially diagnosed with Alzheimer’s and Dementia .

She has a modest sum in a 401K from Macy’s and receives Social Security, but memory care facilities require two full years of payment before the State will kick in guaranteeing her permanent residence. To meet these financial requirements, Terry will have to withdraw her entire life savings. Now the tax requirements of that withdrawal will result in a $40,000.00 shortfall of the funds needed to keep her in care long enough for the State Aid to kick in.

We have 16 months to make up the shortfall, before she would be forced out of residency. That is the basis of this Go Fund Me. Our goal of $40K will be used to offset the shortfall and keep Terry in care at Tyler’s Mill Memory Care in Deptford, NJ. If the goal is exceeded, any surplus funds will be gifted to The Alzheimer’s Association.

If 1000 people give $40.00 or 40 people give $1,000.00 Terry will have a small apartment at Tyler’s Mill; a fully medically staffed memory care facility with an excellent reputation and a very good patient to staff ratio. She will get the individual, 24/7 attention she desperately needs. Every dollar counts!

Please take the time to look into our fundraiser and give whatever you can spare and most importantly, share this post with your friends and family and please ask them to donate and to share it! On behalf of our dear Aunt, Terry Keppel, we thank you!