Help Patrick's Mom Fight Cancer and Restore Her Home

Hello everyone! For those of you who do not know me, my name is Patrick and I am a high school history teacher. I love helping my students develop into well-rounded, compassionate, and intelligent citizenry and I am asking those same kinds of people to help during one of the most difficult times of my life.

My mother, a retired public school teacher of over 30 years, was diagnosed with stage four endomitral cancer in February of this year. On top of that, she was recently hospitalized with pneumonia and sepsis, both of which are extremely dangerous for someone with a compromised immune system. Her recovery has been slow, and she is exhausted - phyiscally, emotionally, and spiritually.

But if there's one thing I know about my mom, it's that she's a fighter.

In 2018, my father passed away after a long battle with dementia. On top of dealing with twins in their senior year of high school and applying to colleges, I watched my mom spend nearly every single day with my father in the various nursing homes - fighting for his dignity, his care, and his comfort until the very end. She never gave up on him or on us, even though she was carrying the weight of the world on her shoulders. Now, I want to do the same for her.

Unfortunately, years of emotional stress and physical illness have taken a serious toll on her health and on her home. She has struggled to keep up with the maintance over the years, and now many parts of the house are in urgent need of repair. The water heater is on the verge of breaking down, and major appliances like the refridgerator and dishwasher have broken down, and there are electrical issues that make parts of the home unsafe in its current status.

This summer, I want to take time off from my usual summer employment to take time off from work to care for her full-time and begin the enormous task of restoring her home to a clean, safe, and functional space. But I cannot do it alone.

Your donation would help to cover:

My mother has spent her life helping others - as a teacher, as a caregiver, and as a parent. Now she's in the fight of her life, and I want to giver her the comfort, diginity, and safety she deserves.

Those of you who know me know I hate asking for help or financial assistance and I have tried my best to get by without it and do these repairs myself, but the burden is too much to bear on my own. Even the smallest donation you can provide or simple share could go a long way to bringing some stability and dignity to my mother's fight against the gruesome disease.

Thank you for your kindness and love,

Patrick Valvano