End of Life Expenses for Kona Blu Heckman's Kids

Tonight, I am sitting in the ICU at SMH with a close friend, a sister, really, of 20 years, whose kids grew up with mine, and who was admitted to the hospital one week ago with basic pneumonia, typically pretty curable in a hospital setting in a woman of 44 years. Despite this, she has cardiac arrested twice during that time, the first time after the hospital OD'd her on pain meds she is prescribed but in the amount prescribed, rather than the fewer and further between amount she regularly takes. They brought her back with Narcan within a couple of minutes. The second cardiac arrest occurred after she was discharged from the ICU (where she was sent to stabilize after the first cardiac arrest) back to a regular room after she stabilized, and during which time, she cardiac arrested, and it took a few minutes to bring her back, during which time there was no blood/oxygen going to the brain, so they took her back up to ICU.

A couple days later after Hypothermia therapy and a medically induced coma, an MRI was given to test brain function and cell death due to the lack of oxygen, and a neuro NP, who couldn't be bothered to walk to the family waiting room and tell her young daughter and son in person, called her daughter and told her the results of the MRI showed brain death on both sides of the brain, and that she needs to make a decision as to whether to let her mom go peacefully via terminal extubation or let her be put on a trach and a peg tube and transferrred to a facility to live the rest of her days in a vegetative state with 24 hr care and no hope of recovery to the point where she would ever be able to interact with her environment again.

Her parents had a difficult divorce, her stepdad and her mom broke up a couple years ago, her grandpa can't handle going to hospitals since his wife (Kona's own mom) passed away 9 years ago after a lengthy battle with cancer, and they have no real adult to help them get through this, better understand the doctors, ask the right questions, and ensure they make the most informed choice possible, much less to help make arrangements after the fact for cremation, services, etc.

It didn't even occur to her daughter (who lives with her father but is staying with her brother now and who is also dealing with a broken down car) that life insurance (which may exist if the court ordered policy has been kept up) takes months to pay out, or how much cremation costs, much less the celebration of life she would like to have, and her son, still in school, shares a home with his mom, so arrangements will have to be made for him, as well. It's all just all a lot, so a good friend and I have been helping these kids with transportation and meals, but they will need all the help they can get in the weeks and months to come. I implore you to help these kids out and soften the blow of this incredibly devastating time in their young lives. If everyone gave even $5-$10, it would make an incredible difference in alleviating the incredible stress these two have had thrust upon them so very unexpectedly and suddenly. A BIG THANK YOU from the kids and myself to all who can give to or even share this fundraiser!!!