Elisa Has Had a Bad 2021 (Let Alone 2020)

For almost eight years on a daily basis, Elisa cared for her mother, Jane, who suffered from dementia and COPD. Jane had been living with Elisa, her only child, for the last four of those years.

Over time, Jane’s condition gradually worsened. More recently, her situation grew so dire that she was admitted to the hospital twice in January alone due to recurring fever. 

On the first of those visits, the 6th of January, Jane also tested positive for COVID. 

Remarkably, she survived both her illness and the virus and returned home over a week later, noticeably weakened further by her experience. 

On January 29th Jane Elizabeth Churchman passed away peacefully in her sleep, at home, at 86 years old.

For Elisa this has been a tremendous loss on many levels. She built her world around the constant and ongoing supervision of her mother. As Jane’s sole surviving family member, Elisa is now faced with figuring out how to manage her grief as well as navigating issues concerning her mother’s memorial and estate with help from her friends.

Financially, Elisa and Jane were dependent on Jane’s social security, which were crucial in providing half of the monthly rent.

Making matters worse, Elisa has been out of work as a bartender due to the pandemic since last March.

Following Jane’s death, one of the few sources of emotional support Elisa had were her two cats, Joey and Loretta, both of whom, like her mother, she lives for.
Joey also grew very sick in January. After weeks and weeks of expensive medical tests and the attendant stress of uncertainty, Elisa found out that her Joey Rascal had kidney disease and Lymphoma. His situation was terminal. Elisa was devastated. She did what she could to keep him happy and alive for a little over a month on steroids, fluids and love. But on February 10th he had become too weak to stand or eat. After losing her mom only a week earlier, Elisa had to say good-bye to Joey.

She wants to thank all of her amazing friend for their love and gifts through this time. 

Currently, Elisa is enduring financial stresses that make it difficult to grieve, put the pieces back together, and move forward. She is faced with the daunting task of clearing out her mother’s belongings, painting and preparing her room in order to generate income through a renter as soon as possible.

In consideration of all of the unexpected expenses over the past couple of months for medical bills, funeral costs, etc., compounded by unemployment due to COVID, Elisa fell behind in the little she was trying to save for this day. There is promise in getting Jane’s room rented. Until that happens, she needs some help from us right now.

We are starting this fund for her because we know how much her amazing friends care. It's very difficult for her to ask herself in this moment of need. But there is no question that she will make it through this very difficult and sad time with our help. 

The anticipated funds will go toward rent and preparing Jane’s room for a prospective renter. They will also be used to address Jane’s remaining SSI and medical bills, as well as Joey's remaining bills from the vet. 

Anything you can give is a beautiful gesture, especially in light of the fact that it is such a hard time for everyone. Hopefully 2021 in the coming months will get us all on our feet again, and Jane and Joey will have a proper memorial.


Samantha Kostmayer, Jennifer Anderson and Michelle Wakefield