Home Changes for Cynthia

Hey everyone, 

I joked that it would come to this one day but never seriously considered reaching out to my community for personal assistance. Yet here we are - I am staring at a screen asking you to part with your hard earned money to assist with something that has no personal benefit to you.

My mother has been in the care of others since January 14. This care has included two different rehabilitation centers, a hospital, and a long term care facility. We are working on getting her home in April. Here is what it is important to know - 

Cynthia (mom) had Back Surgery #4 in December. She returned home as insurance would not pay for rehab at the time. While she started off with a walker, she was moving around on her own by Christmas and things were looking up. By the New Year, things had already started turning back around.

Within a week she went from walking, to walking with assistance, to refusing to get out of bed. She screamed of pain constantly until she was asleep. She could not move unassisted, couldn't sit up to eat, and using the restroom was a challenge.

January 14 she went to the Emergency Department. She was sent home assuming a pain issue. January 15 she was called back because she had a blood infection. That led to more tests, confirmation of MRSA, the findings of an epidural abscess running from neck to tailbone, various medication trials and even more tests.

Months of drains and IV antibiotics, she moved to Rehab. When she wasn't getting better, she was moved to a long term care facility. Now she's headed back to rehab. 

We need to prepare for the idea that she will be restricted to a wheelchair because nobody can decide what to do or how she is going to come out of this. She may or may not be able to walk. In addition, they are running tests because her short-term memory is limited and as of today she was even seeing things that weren't there.

We have to either do complete renovations to the bedroom, bathroom, and kitchen to make them wheelchair friendly or convert the garage (currently used for their storage) into a small wheelchair friendly apartment so she can have some independence while still having our help.

This process isn't cheap and while I am working hard on my own credit repair to be able to take out a 2nd mortgage - we are running out of time for me to do that. Both projects are truly expensive and I don't know what else to do but ask both friends and strangers to find it in their heart to help.

I will be renting dumpsters to clear things out, renting a storage unit to make room, and getting either the remodel in the house or in the garage completed for her use with the funds collected if I collect enough. If for some reason this falls into the hands of truly capable people with the funds to spare and we exceed goal (which I can't even fathom doing), I will be using it to create pathways for her to get around and continue PT/OT in our lot as well as paying down her vast medical expenses from this experience.

I will do full video updates as often as possible and I don't know how else to graciously say thank you in advance.