Celebrate the life of Patricia Laurella

Thank you for taking the time to click this link. My name is David Davis; I have the honor of establishing a crowdfunding page on behalf of my family to raise funds for memorializing my grandmother, Patricia Laurella, who is in the final stage of life and her battle with cancer. I want to convey some information about her and the fight that is coming to an end. In the last year, I helped her to move back east to Indiana from California to finish her days with my mother, who is currently caring for her in her final months.

UPDATE 5/23: We have updated the current funding goal to $10,000 as per the current estimation of the memorial and funeral costs. Check our updates for more information in that regard.

UPDATE 5/26: Due to a significant donation off of the website, we have now elected to reduce to campaign goal on GoFundMe to $3000 for the remaining memorial costs.

UPDATE 6/2: Patricia Laurella passed away on June 2nd, 2023, and 1:11 AM. She was 76 years old.

Because of this, I want to turn to my mother's words as she lays out the situation:

Many of you know my beautiful mother, Patricia Laurella. She is in a fight for her life. She has end-stage inoperable malignant cancer. It started in her bile ducts and has metastasized to her liver, lungs, and bones. It is possible that it has spread to other organs as well, but her condition is such that there will be no further X-rays or cat scans to track further metastatic changes. She is now in transitional hospice care. She now lives with me, and I take care of her and my husband, Chris Markley. My mom is not eligible for chemotherapy or radiation treatments because of her extremely fragile condition.

My once vibrant and energetic mother now sleeps most of the day and needs strong prescription pain medicine to find comfort from the intense pain. Her ability to walk has greatly diminished as she has little strength and coordination. She requires assistance to ambulate to the bathroom. The cancer has caused severe weight loss due to an ever-dwindling appetite. Consequently, my mom now weighs only 75 lbs and is weakened beyond measure. Please remember her in your prayers and thoughts as our family tries to help her through this painful and devastating disease.

Within the week, I will link a GoFundMe page that my son is establishing to help my step-father with end-of-life and burial costs for my mom. I ask that everyone please share the link when it becomes available.

My mom loves butterflies. When you see one, please think of my mom.

- Faith Ann Markley

On behalf of the family and because my grandmother could not establish any end-of-life plans, I want to ask that you help us raise $10,000 for memorial and funeral expenses. My grandmother has expressed a desire to be buried at a traditional funeral, and the average cost of a US funeral appears to be around $7000. While medical insurance will reimburse the family for much of the costs, the initial costs will need to be handled by us, and it shouldn't come as a shock that it is a difficult prospect in this economy.

We have had to put this page together in a hurry as of 5/22/2023 as my grandmother was just recently admitted to the hospital. As such, we are still going through photographs and material to share. We'll continue to post information through the funding process as well to illustrate what a beautiful and vibrant woman Patricia is and how her life continues through her friends and family.

On that note, I want to close out this initial appeal with two photographs to illustrate the severity of the illness. These are difficult for me to share and might be upsetting to some of you, but it is important that I share them. We'll share other photos of her life and experiences throughout the campaign, but I have these on hand.

First of all, this is a photo of my grandmother around two years ago. She hardly looks in her 70s. Naturally, she is posing with some flowers. Flowers and butterflies. That is Pat, for you.

This second image is hard to see, especially for me, since the last time I saw her was helping her to pack and move from California to Indiana. This is her just last month. It breaks my heart.

I appreciate you taking the time to read this. To reiterate the campaign's goal, we hope to raise $10,000 to help with an average funeral service for this outstanding woman. If you cannot contribute financially, we ask that you share the link to the campaign to help support us in our goal.

I will continue to post updates as I get them, and we'll be providing stories and photos as family members come together in this moment of transition. Thank you very much for your time.

Sincerely, David A. Davis, a loving grandson