Giving Back to Mom

***Update***

Mom has been staying with Erin for four months since her fall receiving daily treatment for bedsores and wounds in preparation for assisted living. The facility we’ll be moving her into required her to heal before admittance, and we are happy to report that her wounds are now fully healed. During her stay, Mom has received weekly occupational, physical, and speech therapy to further prepare her for success in her transition. We are looking at a potential move-in at the beginning of January. We’re overwhelmed with gratitude for those who have already donated to help Mom and will keep you updated on her progress.

Dear Friends of Marsha,

Erin, Kara, and Leah, the daughters of Marsha Partin, seek financial assistance in establishing a new beginning for a nurturing and compassionate soul. For anyone who already knows Mom, her generosity and kindness no doubt spring to mind immediately. Though she’s easily the most vibrant person we know, Mom needs our help. Over the course of her life, Mom has battled with multiple chronic illnesses, including Lupus, Sjogren’s Syndrome, Rheumatoid Arthritis, Raynaud’s Disease, Antiphospholipid Syndrome, Ulcerative Colitis, Tracheomalacia, and COPD. Living with even one of these conditions takes real determination; a fall in June of 2022 sent Marsha to the hospital and a rehabilitation facility. We learned soon after that Mom would need assisted living services indefinitely. While her family and supporters are pulling for her to regain some mobility and transition from a wheelchair back to a walker, it’s clear that Mom requires twenty-four hour nursing aid. Beyond physical needs, her condition has hindered her socially as well, making it a challenge to transport herself to visit with friends and family. We believe that assisted living provides what Mom needs both physically and socially, and that she more than deserves a peaceful and happy stay.

Many of you know Mom as an educator. A graduate of Cumberland College, she worked as an Elementary school teacher for her early career and later as a substitute teacher for Mesquite ISD in Mesquite, TX. Her time as a Band Mom for Mesquite High School offered another way to aid others around her, proudly encouraging the high schoolers she supported to “watch out for that tree!” Mom’s transition back to Knoxville kicked off her time as an Aide for a student with autism in the Knox County School system. From third grade all the way through his high school graduation, Mom stayed at her pupil’s side. As teaching became more physically demanding, her dedication and compassion for others kept her strong.

As her three daughters, we want to give as much as possible so Mom may enjoy her later years. It was inevitable that Mom would need assisted living services one day, but the transition has come sooner and her condition worsened faster than we could anticipate. We are in various stages of change in our lives: the adoption of three children, the birth of a child, the beginning of a new degree. We’re prepared to give all for our mom, but our situations and responsibilities ask much of us. The assisted living facility she will soon settle into offers everything she needs for a healthy and comfortable stay, including a modest room, twenty-four hour nursing care, laundry and cleaning services, meal preparation, medical transportation to appointments, and essential opportunities to bond with a new community. All funds raised will go directly to paying for her assisted living stay, with a total monthly cost of just over $4,000.00. If we can receive financial relief from caring and thoughtful friends for one year, we believe we can ensure the rest. Any amount, no matter the size, will build a profound and positive future for Mom. We humbly ask for your help and want her to feel the love of her community of friends and supporters.

Thank you,

Erin Matarrese

Kara Franklin

Leah Ailey