Help the Cottrell family with ALS
Donation protected
It absolutely breaks my heart to share this news and I apologize that this is how most of mom's friends are finding out, but we are in desperate need of help.
On August 5th 2021, we received a call that following my mom's neurology appointment she was sent directly to ER due to almost passing out. After nearly a day of questions and worrying wondering what could be the cause of her hospital stay we learned that my mom found out that she was diagnosed with ALS. The stress of the diagnosis causes her to have Takotsubo Cardiomyopathy, also known as "Broken Heart Syndrome." We almost lost her then. She spent 2 weeks in CICU, finally recovering only to wake up to do more testing to confirm her diagnosis of ALS. On September 13th, her diagnosis was confirmed at the ALS clinic at Strong, and our world has been broken ever since. She received this diagnosis at just 49 years old. Her symptoms started early last year with a dropped wrist, followed by falling down, and muscle weakness. This all came to a complete surprise to us though because none of it was obvious until the later half of the year. That's when she struggled to walk, lost use of her hand, and her speech started to slur.
When everything happened in August my sister Kameryn took it upon herself to move back into my mom's house to help her and my 14 year old brother, Niko. Since August my mom has been rapidly declining. She is now is a motorized wheelchair, will be receiving speech assistance next month, and is fully dependent on my 20 year sister and her home health care team. This whole time my sisters and I have tried to hold it together and not ask for any help, but the time has come where we need help. With my mom's diagnosis she obviously had to quit her job. The unemployment checks have just run out and money is running low fast. Kameryn didn't return to school this semester to give my mom her full attention, but due to the full dependence she can't work either. We've exhausted all of our own resources, applied for public resources, and we're still waiting on my mom's social security. Any money you donate would be used directly to keep bills paid and food on the table at my mom's house.
It kills me that I can't physically be there to help my mom, sister, and brother. Anyone that knows my mom knows that her kids and grandbabies are her whole world. My siblings and I are absolutely devastated by this, and have been trying to keep it together, handling this completely on our own, but now we need help. I know she's loved by so many people, and again I'm so terribly sorry to be breaking this news. I wish this wasn't reality, but it is. Anything you can spare to help will be greatly appreciated. If you want to send immediate help my sister's cashapp is $KamerynCottrell. Thanks so much for taking the time to read this.
On August 5th 2021, we received a call that following my mom's neurology appointment she was sent directly to ER due to almost passing out. After nearly a day of questions and worrying wondering what could be the cause of her hospital stay we learned that my mom found out that she was diagnosed with ALS. The stress of the diagnosis causes her to have Takotsubo Cardiomyopathy, also known as "Broken Heart Syndrome." We almost lost her then. She spent 2 weeks in CICU, finally recovering only to wake up to do more testing to confirm her diagnosis of ALS. On September 13th, her diagnosis was confirmed at the ALS clinic at Strong, and our world has been broken ever since. She received this diagnosis at just 49 years old. Her symptoms started early last year with a dropped wrist, followed by falling down, and muscle weakness. This all came to a complete surprise to us though because none of it was obvious until the later half of the year. That's when she struggled to walk, lost use of her hand, and her speech started to slur.
When everything happened in August my sister Kameryn took it upon herself to move back into my mom's house to help her and my 14 year old brother, Niko. Since August my mom has been rapidly declining. She is now is a motorized wheelchair, will be receiving speech assistance next month, and is fully dependent on my 20 year sister and her home health care team. This whole time my sisters and I have tried to hold it together and not ask for any help, but the time has come where we need help. With my mom's diagnosis she obviously had to quit her job. The unemployment checks have just run out and money is running low fast. Kameryn didn't return to school this semester to give my mom her full attention, but due to the full dependence she can't work either. We've exhausted all of our own resources, applied for public resources, and we're still waiting on my mom's social security. Any money you donate would be used directly to keep bills paid and food on the table at my mom's house.
It kills me that I can't physically be there to help my mom, sister, and brother. Anyone that knows my mom knows that her kids and grandbabies are her whole world. My siblings and I are absolutely devastated by this, and have been trying to keep it together, handling this completely on our own, but now we need help. I know she's loved by so many people, and again I'm so terribly sorry to be breaking this news. I wish this wasn't reality, but it is. Anything you can spare to help will be greatly appreciated. If you want to send immediate help my sister's cashapp is $KamerynCottrell. Thanks so much for taking the time to read this.
-Kaitlyn Tucker
Organizer and beneficiary
Isaac Conrad
Organizer
Rochester, NY
Matthew Tucker
Beneficiary