URGENT UPDATE: We Need Help More Than Ever

When we first started this GoFundMe, it was to help my mom, Becky, get back on her feet after losing her mother and her sister. Two of the closest people in her life—gone. We moved her from Arkansas to Iowa so she could be closer to family, start over, and begin healing.

But now we’re facing something we didn’t see coming.

A few days ago, her lung collapsed. She’s been in the hospital since the weekend, and this morning we were told she’s being transferred several hours away to a hospital that can handle possible surgery. The lung hasn’t improved—it’s getting worse. The doctors say it’s “huge,” but we still don’t have clear answers yet. I’m trying to get her medical records and find out what’s really going on.

She’s not in the ICU yet, but it’s serious—and it’s getting more serious by the hour.

To make it even harder, she still doesn’t have permanent housing. We moved her to Iowa over a month ago, but she hasn’t been approved for anything. She’s been staying wherever she can while trying to rebuild her life—and now she’s in a hospital bed, completely unsure of what comes next.

I’m still in Arkansas—12 hours away—and my brother and sister are doing everything they can to be there with her. But they’re missing work, burning through gas, and doing all of this while also trying to take care of their own families. If things get worse, I may have to go to Iowa too, and right now none of us can afford to keep up with this.

We need help. Badly.

We’re trying to raise funds to:

Cover gas, food, and travel for the hospital transfer

Help my siblings with costs while missing work

Support me getting to Iowa if needed

Help with whatever comes after this—housing, recovery, or more medical care

This is real life, not a sob story. And we are fighting so hard to keep my mom stable, safe, and supported through this. But we can’t do it alone anymore.

If you can give anything, thank you from the bottom of my heart. If you can’t, please just share this link. That share could be the thing that gets it in front of someone who can help.

With love and gratitude,

Stephanie

Help Becky Reunite With Her Family & Start Over After Loss

Created by her daughter, Stephanie Haynes

Hi, my name is Stephanie Haynes, and I’m reaching out on behalf of my mom, Becky Roberts — a woman who has spent her entire life showing up for others, and now urgently needs support to start over.

My mom is deaf, turning 65 this year, and lives on a very limited disability check. After the recent loss of her mother, Loretta, everything has changed. I'm now homeless after serving as my grandmother’s full-time caregiver for the last five years. My mom, Becky, moved to Arkansas years ago to help care for her parents. She stayed by their side until the end, and now she’s left in Arkansas with no support system, declining health, and no way to make this move on her own.

️ Why Now?

I lived in my grandmother's home and cared for her around the clock. As a previously certified CNA, I was the only one able to provide the full-time, hands-on care Grandma needed. She could not be left alone for even short periods of time due to her condition. My mom stepped in to give me breaks when she could, but there was a lot she couldn’t do despite always trying her best. But my grandmother lived in an elderly housing complex, and I’m not 55, so I wasn’t allowed to stay once she passed away. I had to leave, and everything we own is now in storage. My mom allowed me to stay with her in her elderly complex for 7 days, which was all that was permitted, and now I am homeless with no income, trying to help my mother relocate so she is not left alone in a state with no support.

Becky has two granddaughters, my amazing daughters, in Arkansas, but one lives six hours away and the other will be moving soon. She has serious communication challenges: she doesn’t use sign language and relies on lip reading and a Bluetooth connector for her cochlear implant, which is currently broken and costs $150 to replace, insurance does not cover this in Arkansas. Without that device, she struggles to use her phone, making it even harder for her to manage on her own.

Also, her car is a 1999 Toyota Camry and it urgently needs shocks, struts, and an O2 sensor to be safe for highway travel. Once in Iowa, it will be her only mode of transportation to get herself, her granddaughter, and her baby great-grandson everywhere they need to go — especially since her granddaughter does not drive or own a car.

What This Move Means

This move is about safety, connection, and survival. All of her belongings will first go into a storage unit in Iowa, costing about $200 a month, while she temporarily stays on her son’s couch. We are hopeful she’ll find permanent housing within two months, but that isn’t guaranteed given the current housing challenges and the wait for HUD approval.

In Iowa, my mom will be staying with her son (my brother) on his couch until she can get into stable housing. She has:

She won’t be isolated. She’ll have help managing her medical needs, daily living tasks, communication issues, and most importantly, she’ll be able to reconnect with family and rebuild her life.

Why We Need Help

After handling Grandma’s entire estate, move, and end-of-life care by ourselves — physically and financially — we are completely exhausted and out of resources.

We have two potential plans depending on how much support we receive, and both also come with the emotional weight of not yet having been able to hold a proper funeral or memorial for my grandmother, Loretta, who was cremated and wished to be buried in Iowa next to her husband and son. To make things even harder, my mom also lost her only living sibling — her sister — just weeks before Grandma passed. Her brother passed away years ago, so she truly has no other family left here. We simply haven’t had the funds or the time to process this immense grief, let alone make proper arrangements for burial. That’s a heavy weight we carry as we try to push forward.

Additionally, the cost of travel and logistics is more complicated than it seems. If we hire the full-service moving company, I’ll need to help my mom drive her car to Iowa and then find a way — like a bus ticket — to get back to Arkansas, where my own car is. If we rent the U-Haul ourselves, I’ll need to follow in my car or come up with a plan to get myself back home afterward. Either way, the gas cost isn’t just one-way — it’s there and back. Right now, we don’t know exactly how this will all unfold logistically — we just know we’re moving this coming Memorial Day weekend, and we need help to get there. My sister is driving down from Iowa to help us, and without everyone else’s support, that’s all we have right now. It’s just the three of us — trying to do everything we can with what little we have left.

1. Hire a full moving company to load, transport, and unload for just over $3,000, but we would still need help for the second phase: moving her belongings from the storage unit into her future home (truck rental, movers, application fees, etc.).

2. Rent U-Hauls both times, and cover the truck, insurance, local help to load and unload, gas for two vehicles (hers and mine), and then cover my return trip back to Arkansas where I will need to figure out my own housing and next steps after being displaced. I’ve put everything on hold to make sure my mom is taken care of — I haven’t even had two seconds to think about what I’m going to do next for myself. Making sure she’s safe and supported has been my only priority.

Here is the estimated breakdown:

TOTAL ESTIMATED GOAL - $8,500+

❤️ How You Can Help

Every bit helps. We know times are hard for everyone.

If you can’t donate, please share this story. Every share increases the chance that this reaches someone who can.

Faces Behind the Story

"Grandma surrounded by love on her 90th birthday – Balloons and memories filled the room, even as her strength was fading."

"Becky holding her mother close – A quiet moment between mother and daughter in their final days together."

"Five different generations together – Stephanie, Grandma and the baby great-great-grandson sharing one of their last visits."

"Mr. Snuggles comforting Grandma – Her faithful cat never left her side."

"Stephanie and Grandma taking Willow for a walk, the last time Grandma was able to get out of bed and go outside."

"Three women, one legacy – Grandma, Stephanie, and Becky — generations bound by love and resilience."

"Braving surgery together — Stephanie, Grandma Loretta, and Becky share a determined smile just before one of Becky’s many back surgeries, wrapping courage and love around the hospital bed."

"A 90-year bond celebrated — Becky leans in to kiss her mother during Grandma’s milestone 90th birthday, proving joy can bloom even in the most fragile moments."

"Grandma with a rose – One of her final photos, holding onto beauty and memory."

"Party hat pals — Georgie the gentle giant wears her special birthday hat to celebrate Grandma Loretta’s 90th, trading snuggles and smiles for the sweetest milestone."

"Grandma and Grandpa when they were both alive and the strength of our family."

"Stephanie and Becky outdoors – The strength between mother and daughter during brighter days.

A Note from Becky

—Stephanie has been my rock during all my years here in Arkansas. Through every hardship, every hospital visit with Mom, and every sleepless night, she stood beside me. I truly don’t know how I would have made it without her steady hands and loving heart. Now, as we face this next chapter, I lean on her once more—and on you, the community, to help us make this move possible. Thank you for reading our story and for any support you can give.

Final Thoughts

My mother sacrificed so much to care for her parents. I gave up everything to care for my grandmother, and now both of us are displaced, grieving, and trying to survive.

Please help us give my Mom, Becky, the safe, supported life she deserves. This move is her chance to finally receive the love and care she has always given others. Even though I'm now facing homelessness myself, I’ve done everything in my power to make sure my mom is cared for first — because I knew that was the most urgent and important thing. I haven’t had time to even think about what comes next for me.

We’re incredibly grateful to my sister for driving down from Iowa to help us with this move. Without her — and without the kindness of those reading this — we wouldn’t have a way forward. Right now, we truly have nothing else. We may even need help with basic things like food during the trip. Any support for meals, snacks, or just helping us get through this weekend would mean more than we can express.

With heartfelt gratitude,

Stephanie Haynes