my mother's care during her ALS journey

Hello – we are the Roberts family. Our beautiful mother, Mary, was diagnosed with ALS in April 2021. ALS stands for Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis. You may remember the Ice Bucket Challenge, an internet sensation that went viral in helping to promote awareness of this aggressive disease. ALS is a nervous system disease that affects the nerve cells in the brain and the spinal cord. ALS is a rare disease that causes a complete loss of muscle control, has no cure, and is terminal. Over the past two years, our family has felt the immense pressure and sadness of our anticipatory grief, knowing that we will eventually lose our mother to this terrible disease. As her disease progresses in her body, the care that is needed for our mom becomes increasingly difficult and delicate to navigate.

What this means for our mom, our family, and the current progression of this disease, is that we need help to continue to provide the care she needs – giving her the strength to keep fighting and giving us as much time as possible to love her before she moves on to her next life.

We have been extremely fortunate to bring in a personal caretaker to help with our mom's day-to-day needs. However, our financial ability to continue having this caretaker is no longer available. This caretaker (name protected for privacy) has become part of our family. We want to continue having this person in our life because they have given our mom the care she deserves. And, so, we humbly ask our followers to support our campaign. Your donation will help us continue the care plan we have been on and will bring my mom much-needed comfort.

Your support will provide the following care:

· Morning routine – waking up, stretching, administering medicine, moving our mom from her bed to her mobile chair, and preparing food and liquids for optimal health.

· Hygiene activities – bathing, bowel movement support, and other hygienic activities.

· Family support – giving our immediate family support to manage ongoing caretaking needs, providing us tools and care suggestions as the disease progresses.

This list is just an example of our clear and obvious needs but is not a complete list of ways your support will help our family through this difficult time. We love our mother more than anything, and our main goal is to ensure she feels comfortable and happy with the time we have left together. Anything you can contribute will be greatly appreciated.

With love,

The Roberts Family