Help Kelly Through the Loss of Her Husband, Adam, and the Months Ahead

My name is Nicole, and I am asking for help for my sister, Kelly DaSilva, and her husband, Adam DaSilva.

Adam has end-stage Parkinson’s disease and is now receiving hospice care. His decline has been heartbreaking and incredibly rapid, and our family is trying to help Kelly navigate what has become the most difficult time of her life.

Adam had already been living with Parkinson’s when he was started on Lexapro. Shortly after beginning the medication, he developed severe Parkinsonism and experienced a devastatingly rapid decline. Within just two weeks, he went from approximately stage 3 to stage 5. Shortly afterward, he required a feeding tube because he could no longer eat adequately on his own. The tube became infected, and his health continued to deteriorate from there.

Today, Adam is no longer eating, receiving tube feedings, or fluids. He is receiving comfort care through hospice, with the focus now on keeping him comfortable and peaceful.

Kelly has been by his side through all of it.

She has not been able to work since April because Adam’s condition required her to be his full-time caregiver. She has spent these months helping him with his daily needs, managing his care, dealing with hospitalizations and medical issues, and doing everything she could to keep her husband safe and comfortable.

Now Kelly is facing something no wife should ever have to prepare for: losing her husband while also facing the financial consequences of losing the income that supported their household.

Adam’s disability benefits have been an important source of income for them, covering their rent and other basic living expenses. When Adam passes away, Kelly will not immediately be able to receive his benefits. She will become eligible for those benefits when she turns 60 in March 2027.

Unfortunately, there is no life insurance policy or savings to fall back on. Like so many families living on a limited income, Adam and Kelly simply could not afford to build those financial safety nets. What they had went toward keeping a roof over their heads, paying their bills, and taking care of their everyday needs.

That means Kelly will face a period without the income she and Adam depended on, and without a financial cushion to carry her through it.

She absolutely intends to return to work full-time. But after being out of work since April to care for Adam, she needs some time and financial breathing room to get back on her feet. She also needs help with the immediate expenses that will come with Adam’s passing, including final expenses, while continuing to pay rent, utilities, food, and other necessities until she is able to work again and eventually begin receiving the benefits she will be entitled to.

We are hoping to raise $10,000 to help Kelly get through this transition.

This money isn’t about luxury or unnecessary expenses. It is about helping my sister stay housed, keep the lights on, put food on the table, and handle the final expenses that come with losing her husband—without having to worry about how she will survive financially at the same time she is grieving.

Kelly has spent the last several months putting her own life on hold to care for the man she loves.

Now, when she should be able to focus on saying goodbye to her husband and beginning to heal, she is also having to worry about how she will make it financially until she can return to work and eventually receive the benefits she will be entitled to.

If you are able to contribute, any amount will help. Five, ten, or twenty dollars may seem small, but when many people come together, those small donations can give someone in crisis the lifeline they need.

If you aren’t able to donate, sharing this fundraiser would mean just as much to us. You never know who might see it and be able to help.

My sister has spent these past months caring for Adam with love, patience, and devotion. I am hoping that now we can surround her with some of that same love and support.

Thank you for taking the time to read Adam and Kelly’s story, for caring about what they are going through, and for helping Kelly through what will undoubtedly be one of the hardest chapters of her life.

With love,

Nicole