Help Me Honor My Mother's Wishes

What it IZZZ!!! ✌

My name is Joseph Hobdy, and since 2007, I have been the Personal Home Care Provider (aka Caregiver) for my mother, Starlette (aka "Star"). Here she is, by the way. ☆⭐️☆

She's a fierce prayer warrior and minister of the Word of God that has a HUGE heart for people, and will "take the shirt off her own back" for someone in need. She is my best friend, my mentor, and (second to God) is my everything (mi todo). I love her so, so much, and I know that her work on this earth is not finished yet.

By now, most of you are familiar with our journey of how life changed drastically for us over nine (9) months ago. To bring those unfamiliar up to speed, on June 24th, 2023, my beautiful mother fell into a sudden semi-comatose state due to heat stroke and dehydration in her home. Over the following week, the neurologist found an abnormality in her brain stem preventing her ability to wake up and be responsive, and they didn't know when she'd come out of her coma. 

Thankfully, since then, my mother has remained stable and healthy. While she is still mostly non-verbal and immobile, the Lord is with her, and I am blessed to be by her side during this new season of life. While she is recovering in a long-term care nursing facility, I do my best to visit her often and encourage her to keep fighting, which isn't that hard because she's always been a fighter! ;) She is my best friend and I'm not giving up on her anytime soon! 

HOW HAS SHE BEEN DOING?

"Her Royal Badness" has been receiving long-term care at an assisted living facility that is covered by Medicaid. Sadly, no Medicare insurance plan covers long-term care, so Medicaid garnishes the majority of her monthly SSA check in order to cover her stay in the facility. 

She still cannot speak for herself, which has made advocating on her behalf quite a challenge at times. While I am thankful to be her Medical Power-of-Attorney (POA), I have faced various challenges in spite of this level of authority.

WHAT DOES THIS MEAN FOR ME?

As her caregiver, since she has been in long-term care at the nursing facility, I have been laid off. In addition to paying my own bills, I have now inherited hers. 

With that said, I am actively searching for worship leader positions and/or music ministry opportunities during the week and/or weekends (https://www.the413effect.com). This is my skill set and what I studied when in college, so I will do my best to keep myself available for any church services, events, or functions. With that said...

One of my primary goals is to have all sections of the apartment more medically-accessible and accommodating to my mother's needs when she returns home. I will need time to get it done so, when she does recover (and she will, 'cause she's a fighter ), she will have a clean and stress-free environment to come home to.

WHAT YOU DON'T KNOW ABOUT US

Good Vibes Only Story (2022)  

THE MOMENT OF TRUTH: WHY GoFundMe?

Full disclosure here: A close friend who cares for me deeply suggested I do this because she saw me struggling to manage all of this on my own. I'm not asking for a handout, but rather a hand-up. It took a lot of humility for me to even create this GoFundMe campaign, but this is where we are now. Pride and privacy have now taken a backseat at this point. 

The amount I have posted is a ballpark estimate. Our expenses could exceed it. Anything that is given will help me to:

Thank you in advance for your love, encouragement, prayers, and support. I will continue to update you on her status as she continues to recover. Blessings! 

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UPDATE #1 - Sept. 7th, 2023

I am committing to provide weekly video updates on social media and YouTube (as "THE 413 EFFECT" or @the413effect), so be sure to follow for more info!