Mary's Critical Care & Bucket List

December 24th, 2022

Feels unimaginable that Mary havs seemingly so quickly transitioned to at-home Hospice. This is an agonizing thing to see unfold. Since her fourth hospitalization in late July, I have exhausted all resources and other options before making the decision to have at-home hospice. She was considered pre-hospice in early October, and as her trial treatment meds weaned 3+ weeks ago she rapidly began to suffer more significantly.

Walking her home is the most excruciating thing I could imagine, and my greatest honor. We have both been surrounded by love the last few months, and I am ever so grateful.

I am fundraising for the following needs:

$7,500: her bucket list: an RV camping trip, Christmas hotel adventure, beach trip, a special concert, meeting Taylor Lautner and an epic birthday party in early January -- and our Mom traveling from Olympia to Nashville to say goodbye.

$15,000: Ramped up, immersive caregiving support at full-time, including part-time overnight support and nutritional meal prep. The offset of care costs would be supplemented by her state resources and my existing monthly support. The total need for 6 months is $30,000, so I am asking for 50% to help make it possible.

$10,000: Future funeral arrangements and end-of-life needs.

$2,500: End of life care costs and supporting family traveling in.

**If you would like to gift by Venmo you can give to @suzanna-hendricks if desired by check email [email redacted] for mailing address.

October 2022

I can't believe I am sharing this update and quite honestly have not come to terms with the diagnosis, prognosis and trajectory that has been communicated to me over the past four weeks. It just cannot be true. But, it is very heartbreakingly true.

Since October 2021, my baby sister has gone through 7 weeks of hospitalization, 3 rounds of double pneumonia, COVID, and pulmonary edema escalation and has been in heart failure since this time last year, and went into respiratory failure Christmas 2021. Even after all that, there was hope that she would recover, bounce back, and we could maintain a new (limited) normal. Even with oxygen support needed 24/7, and needs ramping up every week.

But, then end of July happened. On that road-trip to Chicago that turned into a catastrophe very quickly — resulting in a roundtrip home in less than 24 hours, a mid-way stop at an ER in Louisville and 25 hours in the Vanderbilt ER before she was treated fully. After 8 days in the hospital, coming home and watching her not recover the way she had been able to previously, her and I both knew something was wrong.

Fast forward to mid-September and she put on 15 pounds of fluid in 3 days from the heart/respiratory failure and it landed her/us back in the hospital.

Over the last month, and even more so this last week, we’ve taken in heartbreaking news. The kind that changes your whole life. The summary of those hard updates is:

Which has all led to her specialists in pulmonary, cardiac, and internal medicine coming to the same conclusion; the next time Mary comes down with pneumonia or other infection that escalates, requiring a ventilator (of which she was 1 Liter away from at Christmas) would put her in a crisis situation of which there is no life-saving measure that would save her quality of life. Ultimately that she may have a few months to a year left to live.

It’s not time for more than sharing with our communities what is ahead of her, ahead of us — and inviting you into ways to journey with her and I this next season.

I am fundraising for the following needs:

**If you would like to gift by Venmo you can give to @suzanna-hendricks if desired by check email [email redacted] for mailing address.

While the season ahead of us feels unbearable and heartbreaking, I’ve been reminded through many tears this last week, I am, we are, just walking her home. That because of the God we both love that she will be okay, that I will be okay. But, in the meantime…..there are very hard, beautiful, and difficult days ahead.

Mary is joy, love, wonder, kindness personified and as she goes through this journey, I am committed to ensuring her days are filled with that equal joy, love, wonder and kindness. Because, while my heart is already broken at the very thought of losing her this side of Heaven, I want her to know how deeply loved she is — as these days of escalated illness unfold.

Please help us ensure that Mary’s last year of life has the support she needs and opportunities for final memories of joy together <3

With Gratitude,

Suzanna