Help Beverly Sharpnack in memorial expenses

Hi, My name is Michael Ng and I am fund raising to support Christina Loden and Beverly Sharpnack to help cover funeral and memorial service expenses. Christina's mom Irene Sharpnack passed away on Aug 7, 2021 from Covid. Beverly is Irene's mom, she lost her husband Byron and daughter Susan the past year. Her other daughter Sandy is in ICU with Covid as well. Beverly is the sweetest and kindest person you will ever meet. Christina will be in charge of the final expenses.

A message from Christina Loden:

To everyone who has reached out to me and my brother over the past few weeks to offer condolences and support after my mom’s passing, I want to say THANK YOU. It means the world to me knowing how many people I have in my corner…to know that people care about the state of my heart (and my brother’s). Many of you never met my mom, but you know me and that was enough for you to reach out with kindness. Thank you. Many of you knew my mom but never met me…and that was enough for you to reach out to connect in a shared loss.
I’ve learned a lot about grief these weeks. I’ve learned a lot about the hearts of people. People who I thought would be there, but weren’t. And people I never knew existed who have rallied around me. I have family who haven’t said a word to me and family I have created much much stronger bonds with through this.
From all of this, I have learned the importance of showing up with love in your heart. I want to thank all of you who have showered us with your love and made this difficult time just a little bit easier. The kind words. The cards. The gifts that have helped my brother and I to survive the most brutal week away from our families and work while handling mom’s affairs in the midst of our grief. I want to reach out to every single one of you, but there are just so many of you. Please know…we’ve received all of your love and it has deeply touched us.
I love you all. Thank you for loving me through this.


Final update on my mom.
Early this morning 8/7/21, my mom passed away. I’d like to say it was peaceful, but Covid is freaking traumatic. She was, however kept comfortable by the efforts of her medical team who have been absolutely incredibly through all of this. If anyone you know works the Covid unit. These people are beyond amazing. Hold gratitude for the love and care they provide for so many of our loved ones who end up suffering the worst of Covid. It’s an incredibly taxing (both physically and mentally) job and I’ve cried far too many tears today thinking about the amount of loss each of these dear people witness on an ongoing basis.
My journey here was quite traumatic and anxiety-ridden. I was given only a few short hours to make emergency arrangements in order to get to my mom’s bedside before her final moments. When I finally arrived at the ICU, I was told that I was not allowed to sit with her - that I could, however, sit outside and watch as she transitions. For me, this was completely unacceptable and not at all what was discussed with doctors prior to my arrival. Once the doctor arrived, he set things straight, and I am so grateful that I was finally able to sit with her until her last breath.

It is so heartbreaking to say goodbye to a loved one with Covid. You must suit up in full PPE gear that goes something like this - wash hands, place N95 mask that has a tight seal on your face and nose, put on gloves, put on plastic gown and secure it fully around your body, cover hair with hair net, make sure eyewear is tightly secured, put on a second pair of gloves. Once suited up, you are allowed to enter the room. It is noisy. Air purifiers are running full blast, ventilator sounds, heart monitors. The amount of tubing and wires connected to and coming out of my mom was heart-wrenching. Once I was able to call everyone so they could say their goodbyes, I was able to say mine. The doctors then removed her from life support measures and moved her into comfort care so she could transition without pain or struggle. And she did. She stayed with me for a few hours until I stroked her face and assured her it was okay to go…she is dearly loved and will be tremendously missed, but she deserves to go on - no longer experiencing the suffering of pain and struggle.

I was only able to leave the hospital around 2am and then had to search for a hotel. The skies here are filled with smoke from the fires and the hotels are all booked solid from evacuations. I finally found one that was outrageously expensive, but allowed me to sleep. I have been asked why I don’t stay with family and the answer is, I will when I am able. For now, I need to isolate at a hotel for a few days until I can get a Covid test to make sure I am clear as I am considered higher risk now after spending 3-4hours in an enclosed Covid ICU room with my mom. I believe I will be fine considering the measures taken, but the last thing I’d ever want is to be the one causing someone else to get sick - especially my grandma. The risk and expense were worth the final moments to be able to sit with my mom until the end. This is the second time I’ve had to do this in about a year, and devastating as it is, nobody should have to die alone…ever. It breaks my heart that Covid has destroyed so many beautiful lives and will continue to do so.

It’s going to take a very long time to sort out my mom’s affairs. Nobody expects to get Covid and my mom certainly didn’t foresee the possibility that her body would fail her in mere hours. I went to her place today and was immediately overwhelmed by the task that looms before me. My brother will be here tomorrow night to help, but for now, it feels incredibly overwhelming and I’m battling feeling completely alone in the process. I know that I am not alone, but sometimes the feeling overwhelms me.

I want to thank my mom’s cousin Rayona Sharpnack for coming to help me clear some stuff today. It is by far one of the most brutal days, but her presence and support and willingness to be near me despite my hours in the Covid room (with ample safety precautions on both sides) means more than I can ever convey in words. For those moments, I felt less alone. It was nice to be able to share with someone who made me feel truly heard and seen. Thank you Rayona - I love you.  

For everyone out there reading this…please…PLEASE…if you are sick at all - don’t go out around people until it’s confirmed that you do not have Covid. It’s a simple thing. Nobody will care if you have to cancel things. But the devastation that can be caused is enormous. That one action quite literally would have saved my mom’s life. And that is probably the most devastating part of this. It was entirely preventable.