Hello, I’m reaching out for help for my mom and dad, Carla and John. My mom’s health took a sudden turn for the worse back in September 2024. She ended up in Lakeland Regional Hospital for four months, undergoing multiple procedures including spinal taps and a shunt placement in her head. To make matters even harder, she contracted COVID-19 while in the hospital, and we later learned she had developed meningitis.

After her release, she continued her recovery at Oak Haven for physical therapy, where she stayed from December to March. Throughout all of this, my dad went to work every day, leaving early in the morning and visiting her during his lunch breaks and after work. He did this without fail, not missing a single day since September.

Since March, when my mom was finally released from physical therapy, I’ve been taking care of her at home so my dad could keep working. Though she’s made incredible progress, she’s still not 100%. She’s been searching for a job and has applied for SSD, but so far, no luck. My dad has also tried to find part-time work outside of his full-time job at the Winter Haven Police Department, but he’s been running into challenges as well.

They’re doing everything they can to get by, but it’s been a real struggle. Now, my dad is afraid they won’t be able to pay their bills and keep up with what they’ve worked so hard for.

If anyone is able to help, or even just share this message, it would mean the world to us. They’re the type of people who don’t like putting their personal struggles out there and rarely ask for help, but this time they truly need it.

Thank you from the bottom of our hearts!