Send Her Anywhere: Honoring 55 Years of Selfless Love

Story

55 years. That's how long she took care of him. They met when she was 15, he was diagnosed as schizophrenic not long after, and she devoted her life to looking after him and the family. She watched their car get repossessed, did her best with local food banks, and she pulled up her bootstraps and found any job she could to keep the family fed and going, while managing an ill husband and two little kids at home. They handled the schizophrenia as best they could (with frequent backslides), the kids grew up, and he got sick again. This time it was a quadruple bypass and kidney failure, with diabetes, COPD, and a staph infection. Her life was once again consumed with meds, doctors, and round the clock care. Then he died. And now, for the first time in her entire life, she's on her own. She's making the adjustment, but this woman has lived for other people since she was a tiny child. In lieu of flowers at Dad's memorial, we're hoping people will contribute to sending her on a trip to ANYWHERE she wants to go. Michelle has agreed to go with her, and I've agreed to help pay for it, too - but because so many of you are kindly asking how you can help and/or support her right now, we thought you might like to join us in honoring this woman who has selflessly given all she has for others. Because she hasn't chosen a destination, we have no idea how much it will cost - but every penny will go to getting her there, or making her trip the best it can be. Please don't tell her we're doing this. She'd be horrified, and that defeats the purpose. Thank you for loving her as much as we do. We'll keep you updated, and will make sure she posts photos. xoxo