Help my Mom Walk and Chew Bubblegum

New hip. New smile. New lease on life. 

The first thing you  need to understand is that my mother, is one of the most amazing, generous, thoughtful, intelligent, empathetic, and caring individuals on the planet.

The second thing you need to understand is that I have never met a person with whom the universe has such an irrational vendetta. If it weren't for bad luck, she'd have none at all.

Through a series of unfortunate events (Lemony Snickets has NOTHING on her), my mother has ended up with a broken hip, a terrible infection in her mouth, no medical coverage, and a never ending chain of bad timing.

She's been waiting 3 years for a full hip replacement. In that time, she's developed a severe infection in her mouth. She's now been given a date (FINALLY) for the replacement, but can't have the procedure until the infection has been dealt with. Cue MASSIVE sighs all around.

The hip replacement is expensive. The dental work even moreso. The after care, unthinkable. And all of it well beyond our means, given the timelines at hand. We have only a few weeks to make this all happen, or it's back to the bottom of the wait list.

I've spent the last several years watching the vibrancy drain out of my hero. All I want, is to see her smile, and dance again.

PS - Yes, that is my Mom and I - 30+ years ago. I still love her this much.