Support for Mom's Urgent Medical Needs
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Mom is currently in the hospital struggling to breathe, due to respiratory and metabolic acidosis. Her lower right lung is collapsed, and she is having trouble breathing due to the excess carbon dioxide in her body. Her blood gas results are worsening each day. She has a severe, complicated UTI that has caused her to be in kidney failure. She was almost gone when the ambulance transported her to the hospital. Her oxygen saturation was at 66%. She is on 10 liters of oxygen, and she has trouble wearing her BiPAP machine to help rid the excess CO2. She is physically exhausted from not being able to breathe. It is so hard to watch her struggle. She was crying on the phone last night, expressing how scared she is. And truthfully, we are all scared.
Several months ago, she hit her legs, which caused her to develop a hematoma on both legs. This resulted in us rushing her to Wake Forest, and after the trauma team met, they operated to cut down several layers into her legs. Her legs are currently infected, further adding to the severity of her current condition. Her kidney function is so poor that they have put her fluid pills on hold. That’s good for the kidneys, but due to her having congestive heart failure and problems with retaining fluid, it’s causing the fluid to start building up. Retaining the fluid is further causing the severe shortness of breath.
We have decided that it is best for her to move into our house to receive the extensive care she’s going to need. Dad has so much on him and has his own health problems to manage. He has been having severe episodes of chest pain over the last few weeks. He had a stress test done last week and received a good report from his cardiologist.
There are so many things that she needs, but sadly Medicare will not cover. Her health has declined so rapidly, and the expenses are adding up. In order to get Mom in our house, we will have to build a ramp since she is unable to walk. Most of you know that Mom fell out of bed on January 1, 2020, and broke her hip. She refused a hip replacement at that time, and now that her health has declined, she is unable to get her hip replaced. She has not been able to walk for a few years. Sadly, the hospital staff dropped her when she passed out trying to get her in the car, and her ankle broke—this caused her to be non-weight bearing for over 3 months. As you can imagine, she has become too weak to walk. She passes out when she tries to stand. To get her out of her hospital bed, she has to have a mechanical lift raise her up and then transfer her to either her bedside commode or a recliner.
With the complexity of her health issues comes its share of expenses—even with Medicare and her supplemental plan. The financial needs are difficult to meet with them being on a fixed income.
The current needs exist for the complexity and severity of her conditions:
- new bed— she is having difficulty lying in the hospital bed they’re leasing from their medical supply company. It is old and the controls do not always work to raise and lower her position
- bed rails to assist in getting her up and providing her something to hold on to
- smaller wheelchair as her current one is too big and makes it difficult to maneuver
- a transfer chair to get her in more narrow areas, such as the bathroom to shower
- A new bedside commode as her current one is old and there are places of hard plastic that cut her legs and it’s just too big for her
- Her lift chair has quit working and is in need of one to allow her to get out of bed and sitting up in a chair
- she has to be transported to her local provider in Princeton, as well as the many specialists at Wake Forest Baptist Health in Winston-Salem, NC; and one in Salem, VA. To travel with her wheelchair, oxygen supplies, etc. we use our suburban and the gas alone for a round trip to Winston-Salem is roughly $100— and when she is admitted in Wake Forest at least one of us stays there so there are additional expense for food and the times they do not allow us to sleep in her room, we incur lodging expenses as well as the cost to eat
- As more conditions appear and become more serious the cost of her medication is difficult to cover at times; as well as the copays to each provider and the left over that her insurance does not cover
- Her wound care supplies consist of sterile water, wound cleanser, gauze pads, gauze rolls, special pads that are coated in a petroleum product to promote skin growth and healing without sticking to her skin, and compression wraps become costly as her dressings have to be changed daily
- The out of pocket expenses for gloves, underpads, wedges to help decrease the chance of a bed sore developing, personal cleansing products and supplies
- Protein enriched drinks and products to help keep her protein intake for proper nutrition and healing
I did not share that I was creating this campaign
with either of them in advance because they would not have allowed it. But the strain of the current expenses, plus now trying to obtain a better bed and the needed supplies/equipment is difficult for them. They taught me the meaning of giving and helping others. I am amazed at how humble, generous, and wonderful my parents are. Not only are they burdened with the required necessities of mom’s care, but they have taken legal guardianship of my nine year-old second cousin with the plans to adopt this year. They are remarkable people that have taught me, by their actions, the meaning of love and giving. And while we are trying to help as much as we can, there is still such a need.
We are asking for as many prayers and good thoughts as we can get. That to us is the most important. If there is anyone that is able to donate to help them with the extensive costs, it is sincerely appreciated. If you’re not able to help financially, sharing this with others is also definitely and so tenderly appreciated. Above all, surrounding her and our family in prayers and good thoughts are so deeply appreciated. The continuous decline in her health is so hard on her, and she is in so much pain. It is breaking our hearts to watch her suffer—but through it all, we are trusting in our Lord.
Much love and many prayers to you all from our family.
Organizer
Keith Cole
Organizer
Princeton, WV