Preparation and Services of Shirley Hanes

My mother started to experience unexpected health complications at the end of May 2023. She was rushed to the General Hospital in French Camp, CA where she was taken to the emergency room. She was diagnosed with Chronic Kidney Disease. In the meantime, nephrostomy tubes were placed to bypass the obstruction in her stomach and she was able to come home with follow-up appointments in place. Two days had passed when she started to feel immense pain and wasn't able to hold down any food with a loss of appetite. I brought her to UC Davis Medical Center in Sacramento, CA where she stayed for the next two months. She underwent numerous tests and procedures to clear multiple stomach obstructions. The hospital did everything it could to manage her kidneys, treat infections from the obstructions, and attempted to dissolve several blood clots that formed in her lung, stomach, and legs. She was also given a feeding tube because she was unable to eat. We had no idea why she suddenly had so many complications—especially within such a short timespan but after two months of monitoring and testing, mom's doctors all called for a meeting. After months of trying to figure out the unexplained cause(s) of her numerous symptoms, Mom was diagnosed with an unknown variation of Pancreatic Carcinoma in the advanced stage—which is also categorized as "the end" stage.

Her doctors explained to us that radiation treatment wasn't an option because the cancerous mass in her stomach was located in a very intricate spot. The mass was described to us as a "net" fused with some of her organs and woven throughout her abdominal area around other organs which would make surgery dangerous and impossible. Chemotherapy was the only way to go—however, in her current state of health, she wouldn't be able to survive chemo unless she was able to eat and gain more strength. We started a wellness plan with the doctors and nurses of UC Davis Medical Center with nutritional IVs, feeding tubes, and physical therapy. At first, it seemed to work. We noticed an incline in energy, strength and movement but after a few weeks, she began vomiting and could no longer tolerate the feeding tube. After meeting with her doctors again, we were only given 2 options—focus on the quality of her life by allowing her to come home on hospice care OR the quantity of life by keeping her in the hospital to live longer but in turn, causing her to endure the pain in isolation.

She made a conscious decision to come home on August 3rd, 2023. My family, friends, & I came together to make her feel as comfortable and loved as possible for the remainder of her days. She is currently still on hospice care with round-the-clock pain medication and nurses visiting every day to monitor/assess her. After not being able to eat for over 2 weeks now—her motor skills such as speaking, swallowing medication, and sipping water are nonexistent. We've been trying our hardest to keep her comfortable with the time she has left. As of Friday, August 18th, 2023—a few days was the estimate we were given by her nurse.

With all of this sudden change, we are asking for help of any kind to go towards the preparations for my mother's arrangements. Thank you.