Give single mom Kat a lift!

June 27, 2023, was a pretty bad day for me. Rushing home from physical therapy for a frozen shoulder, I ran into a heavy downpour of summer rain. Normally, I'd enjoy this sort of day. But in my hurry to get into my house (nature was calling), I slipped climbing up my stairs and fell backwards while doing the "splits" down eight steps. I really didn't know what was happening and was sure that it was my last day on earth.

Let's just say that I was spared death but not pain. The pain was a spectacular creature that wrestled me to the floor. I knew things were broken and my body was in a state of shock. I still managed to get my phone out of my crossbody bag to call for emergency help. I texted a neighbor with the word, "fell." Then came the wait for help.

I spent most of my summer in the hospital, a nursing home/rehab then back to the hospital. Life, as I knew it, was forever changed. I learned a lot about my body/health. After consulting with my orthopedic surgeon, we both realized that a stair lift would be the best thing to help me prevent such a terrible fall again.

My summer was fraught, to say the least. I trusted a neighbor to help me watch my cat, Bruce Lee. Little did I know that she and her family would rob me of medications, food, and other items. She also decided to rid my yard of the English ivy I loved in the name of clearing poison ivy. Never mind that our yards had a house in between them keeping us separated from fears of any poisonous plants spreading to hers. She called me while I was in the hospital to let me know that I "owed" her money for her unasked for deed that did not eradicate the poisonous plants at all. I didn't ask for her help in this way, nor did I want her touching my yard. Feeding my cat was my only worry.

As my mother used to say, "It never hurts to be kind." I agree with that sentiment, mostly. When you find people trying to take advantage of you, it's not cool. So, in addition to installing a stair lift, I must now beef up security on my house. It has needed it for a long time, anyway, but now I must change my locks and install security cameras. I am telling everyone this because my plan now is to do this with some of the money I raise. So, goal post has shifted, a tiny bit. I thought it only right to share with my donors how their hard-earned money will be used. Oh, and I'm buying some furniture risers so I won't have to ruin my new hip getting out of my sofa or chair.

Thank you to everyone who has contributed to this fundraiser. You are all little lifesavers in my life.