For the majority of the past ten years, Lloyd has been the primary at-home caregiver to his aging mother, Gail, while working as a licensed practical nurse and EMT as well as furthering his education in nursing. His training made him able to provide excellent care, but during the Covid pandemic, Gail began to display significant symptoms of dementia, and more recently, glaucoma has claimed much of her vision. Despite these mounting challenges and through tremendous hard work, Lloyd earned his Associate Degree in Nursing from Middlesex Community College of Lowell and the Bachelor of Science in Nursing at UMass Boston. Unfortunately, dementia and glaucoma are both degenerative conditions that become more difficult to manage over time, and his mother’s need for around-the-clock supervision and assistance has only grown.

Now Lloyd is in a tight spot. After being cared for by another family member for a little over a year, Gail unexpectedly needed to come back to Lloyd’s care in February 2025. Lloyd was not entirely prepared for this, but Gail had made clear that she wanted to live out her life with family. Lloyd, committed to carrying out her wishes, brought Gail home to his one-bedroom apartment and has done his best to keep her safe and comfortable. Up until recently, a coworker of his was able to look after Gail occasionally, allowing him to work part-time. But back in March, this Good Samaritan moved further into Western Mass and is unable to make the commute, leaving Lloyd solely responsible for his mother’s care and facing a terrible choice: returning to work and risking his mother’s safety or tending to her himself full-time. He chose the latter but has been unable to work in his prior clinical roles. This has depleted his savings and sharply increased debt. As many of you know, the landscape of healthcare and assistance programs has become increasingly difficult to navigate and qualify for, and Lloyd and his mother have found themselves in the dreaded “dead zone” in which the funds provided by Gail’s Social Security and pension payments are insufficient to make ends meet but enough to disqualify them from many relief programs.

That’s where we come in.

We are trying to raise $25,000 to help stabilize the situation. This goal has two main aims:

*To address the existing debt—unpaid rent, utilities, and insurance premiums—that’s been mounting since working became impossible and savings ran out.

*To provide three to four months’ worth of monthly expenses, giving Lloyd some breathing room while he secures access to support services and finds flexible or remote work.

The situation has reached a critical inflection point and is at risk of spiraling without immediate support. Lloyd is in the unique position of being able to provide excellent direct care for his mother at a time when she needs it most, but he needs our help to do so. Please contribute what you can to help turn things around for him and his mother!