At 91, my grandmother shouldn’t be working — but she’s still landscaping to make ends meet, and now she's recovering after a recent fall...

She’s a retired nurse and former small-business owner who has worked hard her entire life. She cared for patients, built a business from the ground up, raised her children (and grandchildren - including myself) and held our family together through every season. But her small pension isn’t enough to cover her basic bills, so she keeps working — even now.

She has always been fiercely independent. She would never ask for help herself. That’s why I am asking for help for her...

In 2014, my grandfather (who she also ran a Autobody Repair Shop with for over 30 years) passed away after a long battle with dementia. We cared for him at home until the end. (And this after her own bout with cancer.) It was emotionally and financially draining, and she carried more of that weight than anyone — without complaint.

Now she’s the one who needs support.

I am currently the only person helping her, and while I do everything I can (including putting my education on hold, working 12hr shifts, and doing all I can when I am home), but unfortunately I don’t earn enough to support us both. Recently, she had a fall on some concrete while working and hurt her arm, back, ribs & hip (she is now waiting for an X-ray appointment because of that). After her car was damaged in an accident and the transmission failed last year, we now share one older Ford pickup that isn’t reliable (and cannot make long distance trips), making it difficult for her to get to appointments or run errands safely. To make matters worse, the recent storms caused our roof to start leaking, which has added unexpected expenses and only deepens our financial struggles.

At 91 years old, she shouldn’t be worrying about broken cars, a leaking roof, or pushing her body past its limits working just to make ends meet.

The funds raised will go toward:

• Monthly bills and essential living expenses

• Reducing the need for heavy landscaping work (and if she raises enough, possibly retirement)

• Saving for a safe, dependable vehicle

• Urgent home repairs, including the roof (which *needs* to be fixed before another big storm hits - note: the current goal will help go towards covering this cost - the lowest quote from one of the more dependable local roofers here is about $4500.)

She has spent her life caring for others — as a nurse, a business owner, a wife, mother (she also helped care for my mother during her breast cancer treatments) & grandmother, and the steady center of our family.

She has never asked for help. Now she needs it. Any donation, or even sharing her story & a link to this page, will make a real difference. Thank you for helping us give her the rest she deserves.

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(photos: her at an event at school, and with one of her customers. She cover's her head when she's working to keep the sun, wind & dirt off. And part of where the roof started leaking after the Christmas Storms last year, which has now gotten worse with the wind & rains this past February...)