
Care for John Muir
Donation protected






About 5 years ago John was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease and the journey of his health has been a roller coaster ever since. He's been in and out of skilled nursing homes, the hospital, and assisted living until recently in October of 2019 we took him home. We cannot afford to keep him in assisted living.
Last month, he was diagnosed with stage 4 kidney cancer. It is terminal, there is no going back. My dad is slowly dying. At this point we are focused on his care and keeping him comfortable and happy for the remainder of his time with us. I am taking time off work in order to care for him and spend as much time as I possibly can with him. He has less than 5 months left from what we were told by the doctor. He could go down quickly or take the few months. We are not sure. So that is why I am asking for help because FMLA is not enough and I might have to stay out of work longer than it provides for. And I havent even begun to think about funeral or memorial service costs.
This man is my bestfriend, the only thing that has remained consistent my whole life after my mom died. It's always been him and I against the world. He has lived a hard life. Both of his wives died, he lost his son. And through all of it he has remained the purest human. He taught me what love, compassion, and selflessness is. Anyone that has ever met my dad will tell you how incredibly kind he is. He has taken in my friends to help get them back on their feet and cared for them as his own when they had no where to go.
A story that has stuck with me since I was young starts from back when I was 7 and we were living in Oakland. We were walking down Fruitvale to get some subway sandwiches and his favorite peets coffee drink when a man riding toward us on a bike starts shouting "BRUCE, BRUCE!!" my dad's middle name. He rode up to my dad, stopped, got off his bike and gave my dad a huge hug. My dad now smiling says,"Hi Ron! How are you?" My dad and this random man start chatting away. "Bruce, guess what? I got my own apartment now, and a good job to support me. I'm working on getting a car. If it weren't for you I wouldn't be here today." I'm standing there listening to them talk really confused. They talked for a while more and said their goodbyes. Then when we got our sandwiches, his coffee, and we went back to our car. He starts crying. "When I used to own Baskin Robbin's over here he used to go up to different business asking to wash windows. He was homeless. I gave him a job and helped him out with extra cash for food and clothes. I helped out however I could. I used to go home crying thinking about him. I'm so happy to see him doing okay."
That is the kind of person my dad is. He is the most incredible human being. He doesn't deserve what he is going through now. He has done nothing but serve others and show unconditional love.
This is for him and my family to care for him and provide him the best last few months of his life, and eventually pay for his burial. Please, if anything, keep him in your thoughts and prayers.
Thank you.
Organizer
Alicia Zahn
Organizer
Modesto, CA