Help Deirdre Daw with the Memory Care She Needs

The Backstory
Our dear friend and amazing artist, Deirdre Daw, has been recently diagnosed with early onset Alzheimer’s, atypical Parkinson’s and another rare disease called corticobasal syndrome that affects not only memory loss but also causes problems with movement, and speech. Sadly there is no cure for Deirdre’s devastating condition and her welfare will be dependent on expert attentive and supportive care giving at a skilled nursing facility for the rest of her life.

Deirdre is a recipient of  the distinguished NEA Artist Fellowship grant and numerous Ohio Arts Council Artist Fellowship awards among other prestigious achievements and she has devoted her life to sharing her incredible artistic talents through teaching. Her functional ceramics continue to bring such delight to the people who own and use them and the power of her stunning and intricately carved sculptural work is truly exemplary.

Loved and admired by so many as the incredibly sweet, loving, and super talented artist that she is, Deirdre is now facing urgent financial hurdles in order to pay the admittance fees for acceptance into the quality, skilled memory care facility that she needs. She is currently on a waiting list for 1of  2 openings at an assisted living center in Kansas City, MO where her mother also resides, however she needs additional funds in order to be admitted.  Her doctors have agreed that she needs to be transferred to a memory care center as soon as possible for her safety and well being.

The Costs
The assisted living center has a $6500/month fee and requires a minimum of 1-2 years of self-pay that Deirdre currently does not have with her limited assets, even with the sale of her home. This campaign is to support the urgent need for funds that are essential to immediately secure her place in the specialized memory care unit at the assisted living center as well as to pay for the ongoing skilled care expenses, and the associated costs for her medical, legal and other bills that continue to mount.

How You Can Help
Deirdre is not only a loving and devoted mother to her daughter Lily, but both she and her work have brightened the lives of so many, including friends, family, colleagues, art patrons and acquaintances. Now she is in desperate need of our assistance at this challenging juncture of her life. Deirdre’s bubbly and exuberant personality, sincerity and unfaltering devotion to her family and friends would be a testament alone to the amazing person she is, but with the added consideration of her incredible awe-inspiring artistic talent exemplified in her beautifully-intricate ceramic sculptures and other works of art, she is in a category beyond compare.

Your financial contribution, no matter how big or small to help fund Deirdre’s critical monetary needs for acceptance into quality, continuous memory care would be hugely appreciated! This unprecedented time of Covid-19 is challenging for everyone, so please realize that no donation is too small.  Deirdre has a birthday later this month (July 21) and your donation would be the greatest birthday gift ever!

To help get the word out, please share this campaign link with your friends and on social media (Facebook, Instagram, etc.) If you have questions or other ideas on how you' like to help Deirdre, please feel free to contact me directly. I'll be posting updates on our efforts during this campaign, so please stay tuned.

There is an ongoing concern about how to secure Deirdre's artistic legacy. Family and friends are rallying together to figure out the best way to get Deirdre’s amazing, deserving artwork into art museum collections. If you have ideas or connections to help in that regard, we would love to hear from you!