My name is Jennifer Stephens, and I am writing to you. I just lost my husband on January 29th, during this snowstorm.
My husband was 49. He was diagnosed with peripheral artery disease in March last year, almost losing his leg. They were able to stent it and clean up 65% of the blockage, but he never recovered fully. That led to us seeing more doctors, where they found his carotid arteries were 75% blocked, but they wouldn't do surgery until 95% due to the risk. This led to other issues; he was started on home health. He began having memory problems, so we had an MRI. The results showed his white matter had extreme growth, and he was having TIAs, which are mini-strokes. From this, we went to breathing issues, only to find a 5mm nodule on the lower lobe of his left lung. This is a bit woozy now. We went to a regular doctor for blood work to find out that the one kidney he has left was at 54%, and this number has steadily decreased. Then, on January 20th, he had a hard time breathing after waking up. His home health nurse got here, and we called 911 as his oxygen level dropped to 77. Off to the ER, where they started a multitude of tests. We were in the hospital for two days. They found he had double aspirated pneumonia, and his kidney function was less than 20%. The doctors came in and said that there was just a little time left. They would send us home on hospice if we would like. We talked and agreed. Well, on Tuesday, January 27th, was the last time I heard his voice. That night, he slipped into a coma and never woke up. His breathing got worse. We called hospice, and they came and asked me to call family in because they felt he would go today. Well, he hung in until Thursday morning. I tried staying awake, but I couldn't and fell asleep for 15 minutes. That is when he passed away. So, at 3:50, he took his last breath as I woke up. I called hospice, and they got here at 4:05 and pronounced him. They called multiple times to the funeral home, but the storms had affected the lines. Finally, at 8 AM, they reached them, and the funeral home called me. Well, they said they were sorry for my loss and that they knew he was upstairs and they weren't able to get him, so they had to call the fire department and EMS in to get him downstairs. They came and placed him in a body bag and carried him down. It took 8 of them, and then they got him to the funeral home at 10:30 AM. It was a long day.
I'm writing because for the last year, I have had to be his caretaker, where we have had to use our savings with no one working. Disability denied him the first time, so we filed an appeal, and we were in the middle of it. Together, we have 6 kids, and 4 are still home, 3 still in school: 4th grade, 11th grade, and a senior. He had no life insurance. I'm facing uncertain times with funeral and burial expenses. I am going to send his obituary. I have personally started a GoFundMe to help offset the cost. Can you please share it and help? I'm sorry to ask, but this mama is at her end of hope.
Organizer
