Hello,

My mother Catalina has been fighting and living with ALS. We are asking for your help and assistance to help my mother fight and adjust living with this disease. We are setting a goal of $16,000 to help pay for the additional out of pocket expenses to assist my mother with additional caregiving she needs to live a fulfilling and healthy life.

What is ALS? According to the ALS Association:

ALS, or amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, is a progressive neurodegenerative disease that affects nerve cells in the brain and the spinal cord. A-myo-trophic comes from the Greek language. "A" means no. "Myo" refers to muscle, and "Trophic" means nourishment – "No muscle nourishment." When a muscle has no nourishment, it "atrophies" or wastes away. "Lateral" identifies the areas in a person's spinal cord where portions of the nerve cells that signal and control the muscles are located. As this area degenerates, it leads to scarring or hardening ("sclerosis") in the region.

People living with ALS slowly find themselves loosing the ability to use their muscles and causing a paralyzing of their muscles. My mother is affected with this condition.

How do we help?

Even with advancements in health insurance coverage, the Affordable Care Act and Medicare, there is no additional assistance for individuals living with ALS aside from immediate medical needs. Ancillary costs for equipment, daily living assistance and home care are often not covered until the disease progresses. This leaves many families including mine without assistance. After navigating this disease and paying for a caregiver out of pocket, we are asking for your help to where medical insurance falls short.

We are asking for any donation to help us get to our goal of $16,000.

Caregiving Needs

My family for the last 3 years has been adjusting and struggling with the changes that come from major medical event. We have sold vehicles, changed our schedules in addition to working full-time and helping my mother with her basic needs. We are now at a place where my mother will need additional caregiving in the evenings to assist at home. ALS is a disease that affects the individual and the family. We need your assistance to help us get my mother the care she needs 7 hours a day.

Any donation will help with the following:

• Pay for additional Caregiver hours
• Hydralic Commode
• Medical Bed
• Hoist/Lift System
• Respite Services
• Transitioning the home to be more ADA Friendly

We are asking anyone who can help and assist to donate what you can to help my family support my mother’s medical needs and ourselves. My mother is a strong woman and we want to focus on her health, wellness and building strong emotional memories while we can and ease the stress and burden for my family. We also urge you to keep stories like ours in your prayers and thoughts when advancements in healthcare coverage is discussed in your communities.