The Carrie Ann Macaluso Memorial Fund
Donation protected
Friends, family, and loved ones,
We’re experiencing a time of crisis and can really use your help.
As some of you know, on October 8th Sal and Carrie left for Paris to celebrate their 40th wedding anniversary. On October 10th, Carrie had a medical emergency and was taken by ambulance to a Paris hospital. The doctors there were able to perform an MRI to rule out stroke, but discovered a brain lesion. The medical team in Paris were able to stabilize mom to travel to Emory where she was able to get a biopsy done to define what her condition is: a high-infiltrating mutant glioma. There are currently no treatment options for this diagnosis, as the tumor is too spread out for surgery, chemo, or radiation therapy.
Lauren, Michael and I were able to meet our parents at Emory and provide as much comfort to them as possible, but nothing can really prepare you to receive a terminal diagnosis for someone who only a few months ago was so full of life. We were given resources to consider when it came to providing mom palliative care and were able to successfully transition mom to home hospice care in Savannah on November 3rd.
We are still waiting on the full results of the biopsy and it is beginning to dawn on us how rare mom’s condition is and how many unknowns we still face as a family.
While Carrie’s insurance will cover some of her medical care, we’re still facing some financial burdens that will be our responsibility to shoulder. Right now we’re seeking your help to be able to provide:
- A higher standard of care for mom: Like many medical establishments the hospice center has tried to keep their costs low by refusing to cover certain products or services, or only covering them halfway. We would like to be able to provide mom with as much comfort and autonomy as possible to allow her final days to be meditative and full of love from her family and friends
- Relief for her primary caregivers, especially dad: As many of you know Sal still works full time for his company. This is the busy season for us and it has been impossible for him not to take the lead on certain intricacies he’s always handled. Having to juggle this as well as trying to spend quality time with mom, while also being the main point person for conversations with the social worker and hospice care company is unsustainable. There is only so much a person can handle and dad has valiantly taken on that and more. We as his kids have figured out a schedule where for the time being at least one of us will be here with him, but we would like to explore options that might not be covered, like having a nurse that will be able to be here so he can do things like run errands, go to church, and build support here in Savannah, things he has difficulty doing right now
- Flights and travel expenses: Lauren, Michael, and I have figured out a schedule that will allow at least one us to be here with dad through the new year, but the cost of travel is piling up. We want grammie and pops to be able to spend quality time with their grandkids too, but we need help covering hotels and airfare during those visits.
- A buffer for the future: We still have only the faintest idea what the future will look like for mom. We’re still waiting on the full results of the biopsy and for someone to give us an idea of how long mom has and what that time will look like. We hope that her quality of life will stay as stable as possible for as long as possible, but we want to be ready for costs to increase as mom’s condition deteriorates and as dad and us children have to deal with the psychological trauma of that
Many of you know my mom Carrie as a selfless and generous person, who is able to lighten the room with her presence. I can’t help thinking that, even in this dire situation, she would be uncomfortable with her friends worrying too much about her.
We thank you from the bottom of our hearts for anything you may be able to provide, all of the donations received will be going directly to the cost of caring and supporting Carrie.
Organizer and beneficiary
Will Macaluso
Organizer
Savannah, GA
SALVATORE MACALUSO
Beneficiary