Medical Help for Lucas Family

Family and Friends, My family really needs your support. Back in Christmas 2005, my mother was playing with one of our cats and fell over complaining afterward of a pain in her hip. In the following year, we found out that her pelvic bone suffered a minor break, and it was due to cancer. My mother was diagnosed with multiple myeloma in early 2006. My mother had already retired due to a series of earlier illnesses, yet my father, a Vietnam veteran, continued to work as a property manager and accountant in the New York City area. He made a decent living, securing enough income to cover most of their medical insurance premiums and the other out-of-pocket expenses. However, during this time, my father was experiencing TIA, or Transient Ischemic Attacks, or ministrokes. Their effects were minimal at first, but they have recently impacted his speech. He continued to work for some time, but he recently was forced into retirement by another unfortunate situation. In the fall of 2016, my parents had an eviction notice placed on their apartment door. The management company had accused my parents of non-payment, and they had even taken my parents to court. My parents were struggling with the tangle of their health and business at the time, so they were unable to address the matter with management directly or make their court date. Because they missed their court appearance, they were served the eviction notice. My brother got a lawyer to stay the order, and my parents managed to demonstrate that had not missed a payment for years. Not a single month. Despite this, we agreed it was time for my parents to leave the apartment they had lived in for 40 years. The management company was aggressively trying to force long-term, rent-stabilized tenants out of the building by any means necessary. They were renovating the upper floors, retrofitting substandard pipes, and hazardous materials emerged from the building. The building became inhospitable for my parents, especially with their particular health conditions. For their sakes, they had to leave. This also meant that my father had to end his family business. They moved into my sister’s home in the surrounding towns of Philadelphia, PA in 2017. Both my parents are retired, and they have minimal income from social security. They lost a significant amount of their income because their move and the cost of their medical coverage for my mom’s cancer is incredible. My sister provides the majority of the financial support my parents need to cover their health insurance costs. However, my sister cannot cover those expenses alone anymore. She also helps with a great deal of the paperwork necessary for my mother’s chemotherapy and insurance. My sister has a very good job in Philadelphia, but it is still a struggle for them. Multiple Myeloma is a rare cancer that occurs within the blood. It is difficult to treat with chemotherapy and radiation, and it cannot be cut out like most other forms of cancer. My mother has had to suffer through years of chemotherapy. The cost of it on her body and mind had been difficult for her to endure, but she continues to enjoy seeing her grandchildren every chance she gets. My mother received some of her retirement package after nearly 20 years working at Time Warner, but the amount was reduced for spurious reasons somehow related to the split between AOL and Time Warner. My sister has depleted a good portion of her savings and dipped into her retirement options to help my parents pay their medical bills. They need some help recovering from the expenses. The money you give will primarily help my sister recover some of the money she has already spent towards Revlimid and Sprycel chemo-drugs for my mother and some of the premiums that my parents weren’t able to pay after the loss of their primary income from my dad’s business. Right now, my sister also cannot afford to miss work, so your generosity will really alleviate a great deal of stress. My parents are currently incapable of working because of their health concerns; my father takes care of my sister’s home and my mother’s health as much as he can. He is being treated very well by the VA in Philadelphia. They could really use your generosity and the kindness. Please remember them and help if you can.