Save Our Family Home for Alzheimer's Care

Skip a Coffee, Save a Home: Support Alzheimer's Care and a Family's Memories

Hello everyone,

Time is of the essence – our beloved family home is scheduled to be placed on the market this March. This campaign is about more than saving a house; it's about preserving 40 years of memories and ensuring my parents can continue receiving the critical care they desperately need.

As I watch my father's memories slip away to Alzheimer's, this home stands as a physical anchor of our family's story. The bench on the porch where he spent his last day at home - a spot where he used to wave to neighbors and share stories - now sits as a testament to simpler times, before MS confined my mom to a wheelchair, before dad started forgetting.

My father's advancing Alzheimer's requires an imminent transition to memory care, a significantly more expensive level of care than his current assisted living arrangement. My mother, battling MS and wheelchair-bound, shares their assisted living apartment. Their savings, which have sustained their care thus far since their illnesses have forced them from their home, are rapidly diminishing.

This home has been our family's anchor for four decades. It's where my sister, her children, and I have found refuge during life's toughest moments. It's where we've built lifelong friendships with neighbors who continue to support us. Even the neighbor's cat (who I am quite fond of and who my dad welcomed into our home) still visits – a living reminder of the love and connection this house holds.

It's these small threads of connection - a faithful feline visitor, the neighbors who still check in, the redbud tree we've watched grow for forty years - that make this more than a fundraiser. It's a mission to preserve a beacon of hope and stability for our family while ensuring mom and dad get the care they require.

Every time I visit my parents in assisted living, I see how the familiar photos of our home bring a spark of recognition to my father's eyes. As his world becomes more confusing with advancing Alzheimer's, these memories become even more precious. And for my mother, whose MS has already taken so much from her, knowing that her children and grandchildren could maintain this family haven would bring immeasurable comfort.

The goal of $360,000 will allow me to purchase the home "as is," with the proceeds going directly to my parents to fund their ongoing care needs. The timing of everything has been especially challenging - within five days of moving into assisted living, my father fell and shattered his right arm and hip. The eleven days in the hospital after surgery, followed by months of rehabilitation, took a devastating toll on him. The hospital delirium and anesthesia rapidly accelerated his Alzheimer's progression.

Just four days after his fall, I also lost my job. While this unexpected time away from work has been a blessing, allowing me to focus on my parents' care during this critical period, it's left me unable to secure a loan to purchase their home myself. I have lived in the home as the primary caregiver for years, and now, due to these converging circumstances, I am looking at housing insecurity myself.

This is why I'm reaching out to our community. While $360,000 may seem daunting, let's break it down: At $6 (the cost of a Starbucks Grande Coffee), we'd need 60,000 contributors. At $10, it's 36,000 contributors, and so on. I assure you that any amount, no matter how small, will be deeply appreciated and honored.

If we don't reach the full goal and I am able to secure employment, I'll use the raised funds toward a down payment and closing costs on my parents house. While the job market has been challenging as I search for a project management role matching my experience, I remain determined. If I have not secured employment any donations under the goal will go directly to my parents for their care.

Any contributions beyond our goal will be donated to Habitat for Humanity and organizations supporting the homeless, helping others find stability and refuge just as this house has provided for our family.

How You Can Help:

1. Share this campaign with 3 friends who might understand our situation

2. Post our story on your Facebook timeline

3. Share in local community groups

4. Forward to anyone affected by Alzheimer's or MS

5. Spread the word in your workplace or faith community

I'm here to answer any questions and provide updates on our progress. Every share, every dollar, every message of support helps us preserve not just a home, but the love, memories, and care it represents.

Whether you contribute the cost of a coffee, share our story, or simply hold us in your thoughts, you're helping write the next chapter of our family's story. In a world where memories fade and circumstances change, your support could help us maintain this one constant - a home that has sheltered our hopes, dreams, and love for over 40 years. Together, we can ensure it continues to be a place where future memories can bloom, even as we navigate these challenging times with mom and dad.

Thank you from the bottom of my heart for being part of our journey.