Hello friends,

 

My name is Kristine Silmaro, and on behalf of my family, I am appealing to all of you for the hospital costs for my mother, Maria Silmaro. My family does not usually like to ask for help, but this is a desperate time for us.

Maria passed away on September 27 from Covid-19, and leaves behind my father, myself, and my 7 siblings. She was an extraordinary woman, whose love for her family was second only to her love for God. She was the type of person who remembered your grandmother’s birthday or what grade your child was in, and would include them in daily prayer – even if you had only met her once. She would offer what she could of her own money and time to whoever needed it, even though she did not have much of either. Being a supermom of 8 children, you can imagine how short in supply she was of both!

 

My mom was 59 years old when she entered Heaven, only one week away from her 60th birthday. Her death was both unexpected and devastating. Putting her in the hospital was a difficult decision, as she knew we would not be able to see her due to Covid restrictions. Sadly, she was right: we never did get to see her from the time she entered the hospital on August 31 until her death. Her decline was slow but steady, and eventually the doctors told us the only way she could continue to breathe was through intubation. She was terrified of the idea, but we begged her to try it on the small chance that we could be with her again. She was still afraid, but agreed to the intubation because that was the way she was – she would and did give up her own life for her children to be happy. 

 

The ordeal of her hospitalization and death has not only been extremely traumatic for my family, but now we are facing insurmountable bills for her stay in the ICU. The insurance is still processing it, but the hospital claim for my mom’s treatment is a crippling $1.2 million. If the insurance does not help us, my father will have to declare bankruptcy, and with five children still at home, it may take many years to achieve financial stability again. Even if the insurance covers most of the cost, we researched that Covid hospital stays in the ICU averages $200,000 (20% of the cost) out of pocket. While much smaller than the original number, this amount is still astronomical and impossible for us to pay off without selling our home.

 

I ask that you please donate what you can towards the costs of my mom’s hospital bills so that my family can keep our home. Regardless, please pray for my family, and share our story on social media, and with as many people as you can. Thank you from the bottom of my heart.