Hello, my name is Kara Artishon. My mother, Karen Artishon, recently landed in the hospital. She was admitted for a swollen abdomen and swollen right leg. Doctors put her on Heparin (blood thinner) for atrial fibrillation. During the night, she had fallen and hit the back of her head, which doctors called a "catastrophic brain bleed."

A neurosurgeon called early in the morning and offered emergency surgery, but I was told her quality of life would not be well afterward. Not only that, she would need a second surgery to put back part of her skull once the swelling in her brain went down.

The rest of her life would have been recovering at 73 years old. With dementia and some physical limitations, we decided not to go through with surgery because doctors had mentioned she would more than likely need a breathing and feeding tube. Chances are that she would also not be able to communicate.

Once we arrived at the hospital, the doctors allowed us to view the CT scans of her brain. She had a midline shift, which meant that the middle line that separates the two halves of the brain was pushing all the way to the right due to the swelling. It was then we knew that we made the right decision.

We will be taking her off life support at 7 pm Friday, April 4th. Doctors had checked her breathing without the machine and discovered that she cannot breathe on her own. Once we take her off, she should pass on quickly.

Her services are Thursday, April 11th, but Hillside Cemetery will charge us $3,000 for the burial that needs to be paid in full by April 9th. The funeral home that will take care of the body and transport will be covered. We just need help with the service, cemetery costs, obituary, and flowers.

If you have read this far, thank you for your time and appreciate anything offered.