Kim Carberry End of Life Help with Medical Costs
Donation protected
Life can change in the blink of an eye. Sadly, for Kim Carberry and her family, this happened on March 19, 2021, when her daughter Ashley found her mother unconscious. Kim was rushed to Sharon Hospital where she was immediately placed on a ventilator to help her breathe and then rushed to Vassar Hospital in Poughkeepsie, NY. The test revealed Kim had suffered a spontaneous hemorrhage (stroke) and found an inoperable, untreatable brain aneurysm. Kim remained in a coma in Vassar’s intensive care unit (ICU) for 19 days before she passed on April 7th.
Kim’s family was on an emotional roller coaster since March 19th. The medical staff initially said Kim’s prognosis was grim, that she will not regain consciousness and the family decided to remove life support on March 26th, after one week in critical care. On the same day, the family was told by a different medical professional that Kim’s prognosis is hopeful and needs more time to recover before transferring to a long-term (up to 1-year) specialized inpatient rehabilitation facility. Kim’s family was once again optimistic and authorized an expensive tracheotomy procedure to help Kim breathe during her long-term recovery.
Several days after the tracheotomy procedure and still in a coma, Kim’s family was again told she may never regain consciousness nor sustain life without artificial medical intervention (tracheotomy and feeding tube). Kim’s family had to make the heart-wrenching decision (again), 12 days after they initially authorized ending life support, to allow Kim to die with dignity and authorized discontinuation of life support. With family by her side, Kim peacefully left this world as the sun rose on April 7th. Kim was always an early riser, so it seems appropriate she passed at the time of a beautiful sunrise.
Along with coming to terms with Kim’s death, her family also agonizes over the thought of how they will be able to afford the insurmountable medical costs that were incurred between March 19th to April 7th, a total of 19 days of critical care at Vassar hospital. The first bill they received is for $1,200, for ambulance transportation from Kim’s home to Sharon Hospital, less than 2 miles door to door, and this is literally just the beginning. This does not include the ground ambulance transportation from Sharon Hospital to Vassar Hospital (wind conditions prohibited air transport).
We will hold in our hearts and memories the Kim we knew and loved before the devastating event of March 19, 2021.
· Kim was a loving and devoted wife, mother, grandmother, daughter, sister, aunt, cousin, and friend, who focused her time and energy on her family and raising their children, Michael, Ashley, and Zack.
· Kim’s husband of 34 years, Tom Carberry, is regarded as an honest and exceptionally skilled carpenter who has retained the same customer base for decades throughout the tri-state area. Kim supported Tom by handling all business and personal affairs.
· In the past few years, Kim juggled business and household responsibilities with babysitting her granddaughters, Aria, Faora, Circe, and Bella, who simply adored their grandmother.
· Kim was a phenomenal cook who genuinely enjoyed cooking, not just as an obligatory task for her family, but she loved to explore new recipes and habitually watched The Food Network channel in what little free time she had.
· Kim and Tom graciously served as welcoming hosts by opening their home for large family gatherings and always had an open invitation for drop-in visitors.
It is painful to think that on April 10th, Kim will not be celebrating her 60th birthday with her twin brother.
Kim’s family is used to giving, not receiving, and asking for financial help is a humbling, yet necessary step to help with the medical bills.
100% of donated funds will be used for medical costs. Please give what you can and spread the word. Let us know if you would like to join our Team campaign to increase our outreach efforts.
Thank you for your unwavering prayers and support.
Kim’s family was on an emotional roller coaster since March 19th. The medical staff initially said Kim’s prognosis was grim, that she will not regain consciousness and the family decided to remove life support on March 26th, after one week in critical care. On the same day, the family was told by a different medical professional that Kim’s prognosis is hopeful and needs more time to recover before transferring to a long-term (up to 1-year) specialized inpatient rehabilitation facility. Kim’s family was once again optimistic and authorized an expensive tracheotomy procedure to help Kim breathe during her long-term recovery.
Several days after the tracheotomy procedure and still in a coma, Kim’s family was again told she may never regain consciousness nor sustain life without artificial medical intervention (tracheotomy and feeding tube). Kim’s family had to make the heart-wrenching decision (again), 12 days after they initially authorized ending life support, to allow Kim to die with dignity and authorized discontinuation of life support. With family by her side, Kim peacefully left this world as the sun rose on April 7th. Kim was always an early riser, so it seems appropriate she passed at the time of a beautiful sunrise.
Along with coming to terms with Kim’s death, her family also agonizes over the thought of how they will be able to afford the insurmountable medical costs that were incurred between March 19th to April 7th, a total of 19 days of critical care at Vassar hospital. The first bill they received is for $1,200, for ambulance transportation from Kim’s home to Sharon Hospital, less than 2 miles door to door, and this is literally just the beginning. This does not include the ground ambulance transportation from Sharon Hospital to Vassar Hospital (wind conditions prohibited air transport).
We will hold in our hearts and memories the Kim we knew and loved before the devastating event of March 19, 2021.
· Kim was a loving and devoted wife, mother, grandmother, daughter, sister, aunt, cousin, and friend, who focused her time and energy on her family and raising their children, Michael, Ashley, and Zack.
· Kim’s husband of 34 years, Tom Carberry, is regarded as an honest and exceptionally skilled carpenter who has retained the same customer base for decades throughout the tri-state area. Kim supported Tom by handling all business and personal affairs.
· In the past few years, Kim juggled business and household responsibilities with babysitting her granddaughters, Aria, Faora, Circe, and Bella, who simply adored their grandmother.
· Kim was a phenomenal cook who genuinely enjoyed cooking, not just as an obligatory task for her family, but she loved to explore new recipes and habitually watched The Food Network channel in what little free time she had.
· Kim and Tom graciously served as welcoming hosts by opening their home for large family gatherings and always had an open invitation for drop-in visitors.
It is painful to think that on April 10th, Kim will not be celebrating her 60th birthday with her twin brother.
Kim’s family is used to giving, not receiving, and asking for financial help is a humbling, yet necessary step to help with the medical bills.
100% of donated funds will be used for medical costs. Please give what you can and spread the word. Let us know if you would like to join our Team campaign to increase our outreach efforts.
Thank you for your unwavering prayers and support.
Co-organizers (2)
Theresa Collazo
Organizer
Sharon, CT
Ashley Carberry
Beneficiary
Mary Maillet
Co-organizer