Hey, y'all. The time has come to honor my momma's wishes in cremation. While it is much less than a burial, it is sudden and still much more than I have at the moment. The entirety of the cost is due upfront before she can be cremated. At this time, the estimated cost is just over $2600. To anticipate possible unforeseen costs, I would like to set a goal of $3500. Any remaining funds will be used on keepsakes for her ashes for her grand and great-grandchildren. Any donation you are willing and able to contribute is greatly appreciated.

For those who may still be unaware of what happened to my momma...

On June 24th, she was taken to the hospital by ambulance after her grandson Shaughn checked on her and could not wake her. Her blood sugar was 26 upon arrival. Once ER staff thought to have her stable, she was taken for an MRI. At that point, she began to seize and throw up, so they sedated her to stabilize and find out what was wrong.

Her MRI showed a global anoxic brain injury. Meaning she suffered severe damage to her entire brain except for the brain stem due to a lack of oxygen to her brain. The brain stem is responsible for reflexes such as breathing and blinking, recoiling from pain or flexing the foot when touched. Her vitals were strong after a couple of days, and her labs came back standard other than low protein, which was to be expected given she was not receiving anything other than IV fluids at that time.

Sedation was stopped, and my momma never woke up. With the severity of the brain damage and no sign of brain function, any chance of a meaningful recovery was slim to none. After all, infections were ruled out, and all tests returned normal, it was found that the untreatable brain injury was the only symptom keeping her from waking.

The extremely difficult decision to withdraw life support was made on July 6th. We brought my momma home on hospice care Friday, July 8th where she was surrounded by love and kept comfortable. Birthdays have always been greatly important to my momma and she held on until July 13th, Audrey's birthday, before passing. I fell asleep at 3am holding her hand and woke at 5:45, just under 3 hours later, and she had passed. After sitting with her a little longer to love on her, hospice was called to the home and she was pronounced deceased.

It is unclear what caused her blood sugar to drop. Something as simple as forgetting to eat or waiting too long to eat after an insulin injection or change of medication could have caused a drop. She was also taking Gabapentin for pain possibly due to fibromyalgia which could have sedated her to the point of not having the reflex to wake or gasp for air once her sugar dropped and enough oxygen was not being transported to her brain, or feel sick from the sudden drop. We may never know what caused it.

My momma was an extremely loving and giving woman. Almost to a fault, she would give anything she had, even if she needed it herself. There wasn't anything she wouldn't do for those she loved. She taught us all the importance of embracing the moment and taking every chance to spend with loved ones and make memories to cherish forever. She was always willing to go on an adventure at any moment. Visit a graveyard in the middle of the night? Spontaneous road trip? You could bet she would be ready and willing.

My momma wanted to be cremated. Her remains are to be planted under a tree where everyone can visit her and laugh and play and be happy, not sad. I'd like to ask for help in honoring my momma in her final wishes. Thank you for your contribution and support.